Fitchburg State University has received a $100,000 grant to purchase research-grade microscope imaging equipment.
Fitchburg State said the grant, by the George I. Alden Trust of Worcester, will allow the school to replace equipment that is 15 to 20 years old in its new, 55,000-square-foot science building. The new equipment will be used for courses on genetics, molecular biology, anatomy and physiology, plant and cell biology, and cell culture techniques.
The equipment will also help Fitchburg State seek funding for student-faculty research projects from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, which it said had been unattainable in the past due to a lack of adequate research facilities.
George I. Alden was a Templeton native and one of the founding faculty members of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He established the George I. Alden Trust in 1912 with a focus on promoting education, according to Fitchburg State. Trustees have historically prioritized higher education, focusing support on institutions in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and New England. In Worcester, it also supports a variety of education- related projects.
