Magnetic Resonance Microscopy Laboratory Receives NSF Awards

Drs. Joseph Seymour and Sara Codd received the highly competitive NSF ADVANCE Fellowship and the NSF CAREER Award, respectively.  They co-direct and operate the Magnetic Resonance Microscopy Laboratory at Montana State University — Bozeman.    Codd received $387,000 for her work as co-director of MSU's Magnetic Resonance Microscopy Laboratory. The lab explores uses of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in engineering applications. Dr. Codd has a
PhD in Physics from the University of Kent in Canterbury England where she constructed MRI hardware to image	Drs. Seymour and Codd, Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering

semi-solid polymers ranging from human bone cartilage to Legos™.

"This award will allow me to continue a study of the molecular dynamics in colonies of bacteria, called biofilms, in conjunction with MSU's Center for Biofilm Engineering," Codd said. "Biofilms are responsible for oral plaque and the persistent infections in catheters, medical implants and lungs. The use of novel MRI microscopy techniques will allow some of the vital questions surrounding the function of biofilms to be answered."

Seymour's $400,000 award recognizes his work in magnetic resonance microscopy. He studies the flow of cells and particles in small channels and porous media, which provides information on how blood flows through very small vessels, how environmental contaminants move through earth formations, and how microbial cells behave in biosensors and biomedical devices. Dr. Seymour has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of California in Davis where he applied MRI to study transport phenomena in suspensions and slurries ranging from tomato juice to rocket propellants.

Research in his lab includes the development of magnetic resonance techniques for applications in geophysical field research, industrial processing and online biomedical device monitoring. The Career award also provides for integration of the research into the graduate and undergraduate curricula.

Establishing a strong MRI laboratory is a team effort with various skills required to make the non-routine technique useful for such a wide variety of applications. The interdisciplinary background of the lab co-directors is a key to the lab’s success as is the hard work of their graduate students Jennifer Brown, Justin Gage, Erica Gjersing and Dan Howe.