Dr. Carol Hirschmugl part of team developing “3D imaging of molecular chemistry”
Physics Professor Carol Hirschmugl was part of a collaborative team that combined Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with computed tomography (CT Scans) to create a 3D imaging technique that provides molecular-level chemical information of unprecedented detail with no need to alter the specimen by slicing or staining. The team, comprised of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UWM, published their findings in Nature Methods last week. Full color 3D imaging has biomedical applications but also the potential to show the molecular structure of wood, plants, rocks, biofuels and more, assisting manufacturers and developers in the paper industry, agriculture, energy, and countless other sectors.