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Looking at slides of blood cells, fecal matter and urine has taken on an entirely different perspective this school year thanks to new state-of-the-art equipment in the medical laboratory science lab at South ��ֱ���� State University.

In July, the program received 28 microscopes and an innovative slide scanner as part of a $750,000 award from the South ��ֱ���� Department of Health, which was handling workforce development funds from the Centers for Disease Control, according to April Nelsen, the medical lab science clinical coordinator who put a proposal together for the health department.

The microscopes have been in place all semester for students in their second year of the professional program, which is preceded by two years of general education.

“Each microscope has its own computer screen, making SDSU the only university in the nation with these types of microscopes for a medical laboratory science program,” Nelsen said. “Furthermore, there is a teacher’s computer that allows the instructor to see every student’s computer. They will also be extremely helpful for online students as we can take pictures and videos. They’re pretty sweet.”

The microscopes are getting rave reviews from in-class students such as Emma Matrisciano, a senior from Sioux Falls and president of the Medical Laboratory Science Club.

“I remember the day we walked into lab and saw the new microscopes for the first time. We were excited to mess around with them and see everything they could do. Our professors had pages of directions. It was fun to follow the directions and experiment with the microscopes” said Matrisciano, who also has had a hematopathology morphology internship at Mayo Clinic.

Microscopes with computer screens a game changer

Nelsen said faculty saw the microscopes at a conference and kept them in the back of their minds. When the opportunity came along, they felt their ship had come in.

The microscopes come with long-lasting LED lights and a 15.6-inch screen on top of the unit. The screens are particularly useful when a student has a question about what is being looked at in the microscope or if the student is unsure if the eye is fixed on the right object.

Matrisciano said, “I think the microscopes are going to be exceptionally helpful with learning differentials and Gram stains at the beginning of the program. We had to call over our professors and have them adjust the eyepieces and the fine focus whenever we needed help. It took up time that could’ve been used for assisting other students. 

“We started examining parasites this semester and the measurement capabilities on the computer screen were exceptionally helpful in determining the size of the parasites, therefore the identity. When learning about the different stages of maturation we used the measurement tool to determine if the nucleus was half of the cell or more, which led us to identifying the cell. 

“Every specialty in the lab has some sort of microscope use. By being able to pull up the image, our professors can quickly and accurately look at our screens to assist us.” 

Pictures simplify identifying disease states

The computer-enhanced microscopes open up a whole new world for students, Nelsen said.

“They can take a picture of what they are seeing, either through their phone or as a screen shots. They can annotate those images, such as, ‘What is this cell?’ They can take videos. Through the computer, they can chat back and forth with the instructors. The operator can send images remotely to someone, such as a professor or a doctor at a clinic,” Nelsen said.

Matrisciano said, “For our hematology lab, we are required to do a disease correlation assignment. We had to do five differentials and take five pictures of each. The photo feature on the microscopes allowed for high-quality images that showed identifiable characteristics of each presumptive disease state. 

“It was easy to take a picture on the microscope’s computer screen and download it to my phone and insert it into the project. The images showed important features of each disease state.”

The inventory for the $8,000 microscopes includes 24 for lab workstations, two for instructors and two for backups or use at recruiting events.

Slide scanner mimics telehealth

The $100,000 slide scanner is targeted for remote students. Instructors can scan in images and send them to remote students, who can manipulate them on their computers. Nelsen said the scanner will be very useful when the remote program resumes with spring semester in January 2026. In the meantime, the scanner could be used by other campus departments.

“The images are beautiful. I could see ADRDL (Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory) pathologists and other researchers using them,” Nelsen said.

The scanners are primarily used in telehealth. SDSU is the only university with such a scanner, she said.

Another big part of this CDC award was $100,000 that goes to scholarships. Nelsen said the SDSU Foundation is managing the scholarships with an allocation of $33,0000 per year for the needs-based awards. Students are allowed to reapply each year, she said.

A number of smaller pieces of equipment, such as centrifuges and pipettes, were also purchased through the grant.

Equipment makes learning more accessible

Overall, as a result of the new equipment, “We will be able to bring education to more remote students so we can get more medical laboratory scientists out there and enhance their learning experience. Teachers will be able to answers more quickly and more efficiently, and be sure students are identifying what they are supposed to be identifying,” Nelsen said.

The medical laboratory science program currently has 15 on-campus students with a capacity for 24 per class. There are 30 in the upward mobility program, which is for lab technicians who are currently working in the field but do not have a four-year degree. A revamped 12-month accelerated program is to start in January 2026.

The program had 100% graduation and job placement rates in 2021-23 with board exam pass rate of at least 90% for those years.