Shared resources

Image and Data Acquisition Core (IDAC)
A state-of-the-art, fee-for-service facility managed by the Institute for Modeling, Collaboration and Innovation (IMCI) serving both on-campus and off-campus researchers, providing access to cutting-edge technologies for imaging and data acquisition. Visit IDAC website for more information.

Electron Microscopy Center
A multi-user shared instrumentation facility for materials characterization and research that spans disciplines from materials engineering and chemistry to soils and geology to biology and food science. For more information, contact Tom Williams at tomw@uidaho.edu or 208-885-6656.

CER StreamLab
A large, tilting sediment flume for fundamental and applied research on headwater streams and mountain rivers. Combines scale, instrumentation, computer control and virtual researcher access. Visit the Center for Ecohydraulics Research (CER) website for more information.

Low-Cost Aquatic Sensors: Custom-designed sensors for year-long field deployment, measuring dissolved oxygen, temperature, pressure and conductivity. Battery-powered and self-contained. Contact Professor Ralph Budwig at rbudwig@uidaho.edu for more information.

Fish Ecology Research Laboratory (FERL)
Provides fish tagging and monitoring using PIT, acoustic and radio telemetry, as well as water quality monitoring with multimeter sondes and benthic macroinvertebrate sampling. Fieldwork is supported with vehicles, boats and equipment for data management and analysis. Contact Chris Caudill at caudill@uidaho.edu or 208-885-7614.

TIMS Otolith Lab — Kennedy Analytical Lab
The Kennedy Lab provides expert analysis of hard part microchemistry using advanced mass spectrometry techniques, supporting research on origin, movement and provenance across species and systems. Contact kennedy@uidaho.edu to learn more.

Focused Ion Beam–Scanning Electron Microscope Systems Laboratory
Home to a state-of-the-art Thermo Scientific/FEI Scios dual-beam system composed of FIB and SEM with ThermoTM EBSD and EDS detectors. Services include SEM imaging, TEM sample preparation, material composition analysis, micro/nano deposition, patterning, etching, integrated circuit edits and more. Gold and platinum deposition sources are available. Contact fibsem@uidaho.edu or 208-885-1063.

Electron Microscopy Center
A multi-user shared instrumentation facility for materials characterization and research that spans disciplines from materials engineering and chemistry to soils and geology to biology and food science. Instrument capabilities include scanning and transmission electron microscopy, x-ray micro-analysis, visible light and polarized light microscopy and powder x-ray diffraction. Contact Tom Williams at tomw@uidaho.edu or 208-885-6656.

Mechanical Engineering Machine Shop
Offering machine shop services such as milling and turning on manual and CNC equipment. We can also provide welding and fabrication services as well as design review for your projects. Contact Brian Petty at brpetty@uidaho.edu or 208-885-7904.

Image and Data Acquisition Core (IDAC)
A state-of-the-art, fee-for-service facility managed by the Institute for Modeling, Collaboration and Innovation (IMCI) serving both on-campus and off-campus researchers, providing access to cutting-edge technologies for imaging and data acquisition. Visit IDAC website for more information.

CER StreamLab
A large, tilting sediment flume for fundamental and applied research on headwater streams and mountain rivers. Combines scale, instrumentation, computer control and virtual researcher access. Visit the Center for Ecohydraulics Research (CER) website for more information.

Low-Cost Aquatic Sensors: Custom-designed sensors for year-long field deployment, measuring dissolved oxygen, temperature, pressure and conductivity. Battery-powered and self-contained. Contact Professor Ralph Budwig at rbudwig@uidaho.edu for more information.

Combustion Laboratory
Offers FTIR analysis of gaseous samples using short path length gas cells and a Thermo-Nicolet iS5 spectrometer. Also provides thermogravimetric analysis of solid samples with a TA Instruments Q500 for both conventional and modulated TGA. Contact Kamal Kumar at kkumar@uidaho.edu.

Genomics
The IBEST Genomics and Bioinformatics Resources Core supports genomics research across fields like biomedicine, agriculture, forestry, ecology and more. Services include Illumina DNA/RNA library preparation and sequencing, bioinformatics and statistical analysis, metagenomic analysis and custom protocols. Offers consulting for experimental design, project planning, cost estimates and letters of support for funding proposals. Visit their website for more information.

CNR DNA Lab
Includes dedicated labs for low-quality DNA (e.g., fecal, hair, eDNA) and high-quality DNA (e.g., blood, tissue), a capillary electrophoresis lab for PCR fragment analysis and sequencing and a computer lab for data analysis. Contact Lisette Waits at lwaits@uidaho.edu or 208-885-7823.

Mass spectrometry
The U of I Mass Spectrometry core facility offers analysis of volatile and non-volatile organic compounds and biochemicals. The lab is equipped with a GC-MS, a Q-Tof ms, a triple quad ms and an ion trap mass spec. Instruments are paired with gas or liquid chromatographs for analyte separation and supported by proteomic sample prep resources. Contact Lee Deobald, Ph.D. at deobaldl@uidaho.edu or 208-885-5893.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Equipped with three Bruker NMR spectrometers (two 500 MHz, one 300 MHz) and a Bruker EPR spectrometer. The 500 MHz cold-probe system (2016) offers four to five times greater sensitivity. Supports a wide range of NMR experiments, including variable temperature studies. EPR operates down to 4K for low-temperature analysis. Contact Alex Blumenfeld Ph.D. at blum@uidaho.edu or 208-885-9235. 

Analytical Sciences Laboratory (ASL)
A full-service lab in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, ASL performs over 200 tests on soils, water and biological tissues — including food and feed — for nutrients, heavy metals, pesticides, vitamins and more. With advanced instruments (HPLC, LC-MS, GC-MS, ICP-MS and others), ASL processes about 15,000 samples annually under a Quality Management System aligned with ISO 17025 and AAVLD standards. Contact asl@uidaho.edu.

Core Facilities

Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) Nutritional Service Center
Provides analytical nutritional services and expert consulting in fish feeds and ingredients, supporting both internal and external clients. Expanded to offer nutritional analysis for animal and insect tissues, backed by a leading aquaculture nutrition program. Contact Brian Small Ph.D. at bcsmall@uidaho.edu, aqua@uidaho.edu or 208-837-9096.

CNR Aquatic Animal Laboratory
Supports research and training in aquaculture, fish health and aquatic sciences. The 3,200 square foot facility includes general fish care space, four isolation rooms with independent access, storage and freezers. Equipped with specific pathogen-free (SPF), dechlorinated water at ambient, chilled or heated temperatures, isolation rooms offer programmable light and temperature cycles and modular tanks for complex, controlled experiments. For more information, contact Director Kenneth Cain Ph.D. at kcain@uidaho.edu or 208-885-7608 or Lab Manager Dorah Mtui at dorahm@uidaho.edu or 208-885-0624.

Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) Core Laboratory
The Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) operates core facilities at U of I Moscow, Coeur d’Alene and Boise. Moscow hosts a β-testing lab for evaluating crowd-sourced research tools like test strips, sensors and phone apps, as well as pre-testing social science surveys. Coeur d’Alene features a discrete chemical analyzer for measuring nutrients, primarily phosphorus and nitrogen, in water. Visit the IWRRI website for more information.

College of Natural Resources (CNR) General Core Laboratory
The CNR General core Laboratory is interdisciplinary centralized facility that provides services and equipment to researchers within the college, campus and their collaborators. Contact Dorah Mtui at dorahm@uidaho.edu or 208-885-0624.

Combustion Laboratory
Offers FTIR analysis of gaseous samples using short path length gas cells and a Thermo-Nicolet iS5 spectrometer. Also provides thermogravimetric analysis of solid samples with a TA Instruments Q500 for both conventional and modulated TGA. Contact Kamal Kumar at kkumar@uidaho.edu.