The USU MicroCT Facility is associated with the Department of Biology and the USU Office of Research. The facility opened in September of 2022, and houses a Nikon XT H 225 ST 2x µCT scanner and two state of the art workstations with VG Studio Max installed. The acquisition of this equipment was funded in part by a National Science Foundation Major Instrumentation grant, along with additional funds contributed by the Office of Research, the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the departments of Biology, ADVS, and Geosciences.
MicroCT scanning allows users to collect a series of 2D projections as the sample is rotated and to reconstruct these projections to create a 3D volume. This volume can then be digitally manipulated to resolve micron-level details of a given sample, allowing users to examine both the external and internal structure/composition non-destructively. Thus, microCT can be a valuable tool for a wide range of disciplines.
What do you do when you (literally) can’t unwrap a scientific mystery? Utah State University anthropologists Sascha Baldauf and Molly Cannon faced this puzzle, when the USU Museum of Anthropology came into possession of ancient mummified remains.
Undergrad researcher Logan Hammer, left, studies fang length, gape size in varied snake species with mentors, from left, Professor Al Savitzky and graduate student Lauren Houstoun Craige, Utah State University.
While in Logan, Dr. Lively used USU's MicrocCT scanner to examine fossil finds.
Anwar, T. U., Merighe, P., Kancharla, R. R., Kombaiah, B., & Kouraytem, N. (2025). Influence of Process Parameter and Build Rate Variations on Defect Formation in Laser Powder Bed Fusion SS316L. Materials, 18(2), 435.
Houstoun, Lauren A., "Morphological Correlates of Limaxivory in Contia (Serpentes: Dipsadinae) Compared to Related Taxa Carphophis and Diadophis" (2025). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present. 576.
Plylar, Helen Bond, "Comparative Morphology and Development of the Trigeminally Innervated Infrared-Imaging System in Boas and Pythons" (2024). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present. 307.
