Gaining access to the equipment in the GC3F microscopy facility generally requires the following steps. Access to workstations requires a very brief introduction.
- Contact Adam Fries for a brief consultation to determine the best instrument for your needs.
- Register an iLab account (for calendar access and billing) with your UO credentials here: UO iLab Registration
- Once you have a registered iLab account and have been assigned a valid index, attend the monthly microscopy seminar (TBD) and schedule a training session with Adam.
- Send Adam Fries your UO 95 number for card access to the imaging facility in Klamath 270. Instrument reservations are made though iLab, and each user will need to register for an iLab account if they do not have one. Once the seminar has been attended and hands-on training of the instrument has been completed, new users will be granted calendar and facility access.
Individualized training recharge for each of the instruments is a one-time fee of $150 ($300 for external customers).
Contact Adam Fries for more information regarding instruments, training, or analysis, or visit the office in Klamath 270D.
Training
There is a one-time training fee of $150 per instrument. The goal of training is to ensure you feel confident, independent, and capable of operating the instrument safely and efficiently. Training consists of two components, which may be completed in either order:
- Attendance at the Intro to Microscopy Seminar, offered approximately once per month and lasts approximately 90 minutes - TBD .
- Hands-on instrument training on the microscope you wish to use.
The Intro to Microscopy Seminar is 90 minutes and covers the following topics. Since there are many important details, please bring something to take notes with:
- The basic physics and optics of fluorescence microscopy.
- The light path and hardware of the varying systems in the facility.
- Image formation and using the image histogram for quality control.
- The relationship between resolution, magnification, spatial sampling, and the objective lens.
- Ethical image manipulation and analysis.
- What to include in your microscopy methods section.
- How to properly acknowledge the core facility and related equipment grants in your publications.
Hands-on training will typically be conducted individually or in pairs, though group sessions of up to three people may be allowed in some cases. You can expect multiple hands-on sessions depending on your individual progress. These sessions will reinforce concepts covered in the seminar and focus on optimizing the microscope for your specific experiment. It is recommended that you have a test sample available at this stage.
Training is complete once you have attended the Intro to Microscopy Seminar, completed the required hands-on training, can demonstrate proper care and operation of the microscope (especially the objectives), and demonstrate mastery through a brief quiz. Once training is complete, calendar access through iLab and card access to the facility will be granted and you may begin scheduling and imaging independently.