The National Science Foundation, a federal agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering, awarded FIT a $186,635 grant to purchase a tabletop scanning electron microscope (SEM) to aid on-campus research and improve undergraduate STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) education. This new piece of cutting-edge equipment helps further the college’s goal of innovation at the intersection of design, technology, and science. Deborah Berhanu, associate professor of Math and Science, served as principal investigator for the grant, and Karen Pearson, associate chair of the department, was co-principal investigator.