A New Electrocn Microscopy Facility in the Mountain of Minas Gerais

The new Microscopy Center at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) is presently in the final stages of construction. Here, we will describe the history as well as the technical aspects of this new facility, which will be fully available to the scientific, state and private enterprise communities in 2007. We envision that this multi-user facility will be a place where researchers from material sciences and biomedical areas will share space, microscopes and knowledge. Such cross- discipline interactions should promote a better interface between these diverse areas and enhance the growth of emerging areas such as nanotechnology and bioengineering.