General view of Clyde Moe operating a RCA Model EMU electron microscope in the Dow Chemical Company's Metallurgical Laboratory. Electron microscopes use a beam of accelerated electrons as a source of illumination and have a higher resolving power that, in contrast to light microscopes, can reveal the structure of smaller objects. At Dow, electron microscopes were commonly used for research related to the development of new and improved alloys of magnesium, as well as in the development of new chemicals and compounds.

Notably, the Model EMU debuted in 1944 and was the first American-manufactured RCA electron microscope capable of both imaging and electron diffraction.