Department of Materials Science and Engineering - Dee Breger


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In 2004, Dee came to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia to take the position of Director of Microscopy. In this capacity, she oversees the microscopy suite of the department's Materials Characterization

Dee Breger (Photo by S. Sagala)

Facility (MCF) located in the Edmund D. Bossone Research Enterprise Center. Her duties at Drexel include maintaining the optical and scanning electron microscopes and ancillary equipment, training students in their use, operating for visitors from other universities and industry, and captivating the public on the remarkable microworld through demonstrations, presentations, and lectures both on site and in external venues of various kinds.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) with a degree in studio art, Dee began working as a scientific illustrator at Columbia University's premier Earth science research institute in Palisades, NY, now known as the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. She quickly switched to full time operation of Lamont's transmission electron microscope (TEM), and subsequently to the scanning electron microscope (SEM) when Lamont acquired one of the first commercially available models. Although she has specialized in scanning electron microscopy since the inception of this technology, Dee has also worked in other capacities in various laboratory and field programs in many of the Earth sciences. To date, she has participated in 30 expeditions in many far-flung corners of the world, mostly at sea.

In addition to directing the microscopy suite of Drexel's Materials Characterization Facility, operating the system for scientists and students and/or training them in SEM and X-ray microanalytical techniques, Dee brings the visual and educational impact of the microworld out of the cloistered laboratory and makes it accessible to the general public. At the intersection of science, technology, and art, she has encouraged a delight in the world of science through her slide programs in K-12 schools, nature clubs, and other venues that include the international Explorer's Club and a European eco-cruise ship plying Patagonian waters. Dee's images adorn the walls of numerous museums and science centers, corporations, and private homes, and are routinely featured in the media.

Dee at the edge of Arthur Harbor, Antarctica, collecting the pyrite sample that can be seen in the Minerals category of the Images section. Photo by T. Newberger. Arthur Harbor and the Marr glacier are behind Palmer Station, a US research base on the Antarctic Peninsula. For more about this expedition, see Breger, D., 2003. Microscopy at the Ends of the Earth, Microscopy Today, 11, 5.

Dee's collection of images presents an intimate glimpse at the beautiful and surprising microscopic structures of both familiar objects and exotic research samples. Appealing equally to people from kindergarten age to senior citizens, the aesthetic and entertaining approach of her presentations is especially inviting to those who normally think of science as beyond their reach.

© 2006 Dee Breger