The West Greene School District (WGSD) in southwestern Pennsylvania has been extremely aggressive in providing exceptional educational opportunities to its students which come primarily from a rural, small-town and post-industrial mining community. The five school systems serving Greene County have been linked with multiple T-l lines making special interest courses available to all students through a sophisticated distancelearning facility. The goals of this program are multiple including motivating students to pursue advanced education, especially in mathematics, computer sciences, engineering, and the basic sciences; enriching the educational experience beyond that commonly available to students in rural communities; and improving the general attractiveness of the region for business growth.

RJ Lee Group (RJLG) is a small business located about 60 miles northeast of Greene County specializing in solving materials-related problems. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is often one of the methods used by RJLG.