California State University, Hayward has successfully demonstrated remote control of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) using Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). The development of digital imaging technology has iead to exploration and testing of networking strategies for sharing scientific instrumentation. The concept of shared instrumentation is appealing to both academia and private enterprise. Networking access presents the opportunity to teach scanning electron microscopy to a large number of students using multiple desktop computers. Video images can also be projected onto large screens in classrooms or as a distant learning resource. Remote shared access to scientific equipment provides certain advantages such as access to a wider variety of resources, direct interaction without hazard to people or equipment, ability to combine resources into larger virtual instruments, rapid access to available resources, and pooling of knowledge by a larger community.The advent of high speed networks such as ATM offers the possibility of integrated solutions to communication and control.