By Ellie Larsen, September 09, 2025
At many universities, student researchers rarely get the chance to even see a transmission electron microscope, or TEM, up close—let alone use one. At BYU, undergraduate students are about to run the show.
As part of the expansion of the Eyring Science Center, BYU is installing two TEMs—high-powered tools capable of capturing 3D microscopic images at atomic resolution.
Unlike BYU’s three scanning electron microscopes, or SEMs, these new TEMs see through samples by shooting an electron at 300 kilovolts (86% of the speed of light) through a sample less than 150 nanometers thick (0.0015 times the width of a human hair). Pictures at different tilts are then fed through a high-powered computer to create a 3D model, a concept known as tomography.
“At most places, you need to have a Ph.D. to be able to even touch these tools,” said Felipe Rivera, director of the microscopy facility. “But BYU is different. We actually encourage the students to use them—to come and say, ‘This was my project. This was my idea. I got the training, I prepared the samples, I imaged them, I published that paper.’”
These tomographic images, captured by students, are extraordinary for revealing the sample at atomic resolution.
“With these images, we are able to do element analysis,” Rivera said. “We can look at two atoms and tell you, this atom is made of gold and this atom is made of silver. We have that capability here at BYU.”
Because the readings from these microscopes are so precise, the TEMs are separated from the rest of the building by inches of open space to avoid shaking. Their base consists of 3 to 5 feet of cement and an active vibration-cancellation plate, and the rooms’ walls are insulated for acoustical, electromagnetic and temperature fluctuations. These TEMs are as close to wiggle-proof as possible.
To further minimize disturbances, students from every college on campus will prepare their samples and operate the TEM from separate rooms. This process involves freezing biological cells to 80 kelvin (approximately -193 degrees Celsius) and cutting materials to precise dimensions.
Grant Jensen, dean of the BYU College of Computational, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, plans to use this unique opportunity to be the first to catalog 3D images of human cells.
“Scientists initially estimated that there were hundreds of different types of cells in a human,” Jensen said. “Now we think it might be in the few thousands. We are going to assign each student one of those different cell types and let them discover for the world what is inside.”
Experience with the TEM will give BYU undergrads a “second-to-none” competitive advantage and be their “golden ticket” to developing real-world skills, Jensen said.
“This is an opportunity for them to learn as much science as possible, including how to operate such a fantastic, world-class instrument. They'll see things and discover things that no one has ever known before.”
Science is more than schooling and jobs, Jensen said. These TEMs provide a new opportunity to understand God’s creations.
“These microscopes allow us to see the order that Heavenly Father put into this world,” Rivera said. “I believe that Heavenly Father allows us to have these tools so that we can better understand how He did what He did and become like He is.”
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