Press releases

This transmission electron microscope will reinforce LSU’s position as a top research institution that attracts leading educators, research scientists and students. The investment will also create economic opportunities for Louisiana through the cutting-edge research this microscope makes possible.” 

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today announced that the U.S. Army has awarded Louisiana State University (LSU) a $10 million transmission electron microscope. Kennedy, the only member of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation on an appropriations committee, supported LSU’s proposal for the research partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense.

The new microscope will strengthen LSU’s position as one of the premier microscopic imaging and measurement facilities in the U.S.

If America is going to remain the world’s technological leader, we must increase our focus on the next generation of quantum cybersecurity and other tech fields. Louisiana is doing its part to help the U.S. win the technology race. This transmission electron microscope will reinforce LSU’s position as a top research institution that attracts leading educators, research scientists and students. The investment will also create economic opportunities for Louisiana through the cutting-edge research this microscope makes possible,” said Kennedy.

“With this new instrument, we will be able to image and measure all kinds of natural and engineered materials—from cellular to molecular to subatomic scales—at a level of detail found at very few universities,” said LSU Vice President of Research and Economic Development Samuel J. Bentley. “This will form the basis for frontier research in partnership with the Army and other agencies and universities. It will also be a magnet for the best faculty and students to join our LSU team and push the envelope of human knowledge.”

“We are excited to add such next-level instrumentation to LSU’s Shared Instrumentation Facility,” Cynthia Peterson, dean of the LSU College of Science, added. “The transmission electron microscope will further advance the university’s research enterprise and support emerging technologies and research efforts in materials and manufacturing science.”

 Background:

Transmission electron microscopes are the only instruments that allow researchers to examine physical and chemical properties at levels smaller than the atom. These microscopes are a crucial tool in analyzing materials for biomedical research, micro-electronics research and nano-electronics research, as well as for superconductivity research and for the development and manufacturing of materials. Transmission electron microscopes are also a necessary tool to develop the next generation of quantum information science and technology and quantum cybersecurity.