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Welcome to the website of the Facility for Electron Microscopy Research at McGill University.

Mission: The mission of the Facility for Electron Microscopy Research (FEMR) is to promote and advance the science and practice of all microscopic imaging, analysis and microdiffraction techniques useful for elucidating the ultrastructure and function of diverse materials. The FEMR supports and fosters the collaborative and multidisciplinary research activities of over hundred investigators from more than twenty departments in four faculties at McGill whose work has already had a major impact in the areas of biological, life, materials, and physical sciences. The majority of the users of the facility are NSERC and CIHR grant holders. By providing computer image processing and a networked environment combined with cutting-edge instrumentation, a modern infrastructure, and access to skilled personnel, the FEMR continues to support these researchers to ensure that they can advance their work more efficiently, compete internationally and to make certain that the efforts they have invested over the years will continue to have significant impact on their discipline. The state-of-the-art imaging and analytical facilities of the FEMR are used to derive structural, compositional, morphological, elemental, and molecular information from diverse materials. These materials include biological tissues, biomimetic materials, high-performance synthetic materials, polymers, colloids, and materials of importance in both earth and interplanetary studies.

History: The creation of the Facility for Electron Microscopy Research (FEMR) is an outgrowth of research undertaken at the informally named Electron Microscopy Centre (EM Centre) of McGill. The EM Centre was established in 1997 from the integration of the Electron Microscopy Laboratory of the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology with the electron microscopy facilities of the departments of Biology, Pathology, Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, the School of Occupational Health, and the Montreal Neurological Institute. With a grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) in 2001, the EM Centre became the lead institution in the regional imaging consortium, Montreal Network for Materials, Structural, and Molecular Imaging (MNMSMI). The MNMSMI regrouped and supports the research activities of investigators from McGill University, Université de Montréal, École Polytechnique, and affiliated schools, institutes and industrial partners to continue to pursue world-class science, to develop world-class technologies, and to maintain outstanding capabilities in operations research. In June 2003, the EM Centre changed its name to the Facility for Electron Microscopy Research (FEMR) and became the core unit for electron microscopy at McGill under the aegis of the Office of the Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations).

Click on any of the appropriate links at left to access our services or to find out more about us. If you have any questions or comments, you may reach us via the information on our Contact page.

NOTICE: Owing to the construction in the basement of the Strathcona Anatomy & Dentistry Building for the installation of the FEI Titan Krios 300 kV cryo-FE-(S)TEM, there will be periodic disruptions with access to the FEI Tecnai 12 120 kV TEM and the FEI G2 F20 cryo-FE-(S)TEM between mid-April until the end of August. The FEI Tecnai 12 will be shut down between May 19th to May 27th, whereas the G2 F20 will be shut down for a period of 8 to 12 weeks beginning May 19th. More details will be forthcoming as they become available. Should you urgently require access to a TEM, we will attempt to make alternate arrangements. Please contact S. Kelly Sears for further details.