History of the CMA
In 1965 the college installed its first Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) in the Department of Zoology. Work here focused mainly on the preparation and imaging of biological samples but also included giving instrument access to the college’s research and teaching community.
In 1989 this access was extended to industry with the introduction of a commercial service branded as the Electron Microscope Unit (EMU). The EMU expanded and diversified its services over the next 11 years using the finance it generated and rebranded in 2000 to become the Centre for Microscopy and Analysis (CMA).
The CMA introduced a Quality Management System in 2004 and continued to offer its commercial and research analytical services to the highest standards by gaining accreditation to ISO9001:2008 quality standards in 2005.
In 2016 the CMA was incorporated in the Department of Geology and the lab was renamed the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences (iCRAG) lab. The accredited analytical commercial industry services continue under the banner of CMA side by side with the Applied Geoscience research.