Note: courses are not currently offered - but we are working on it.

However, individual training can be arranged by following the "Arrange Training" link on the microscopy cores' main page. Individual training is required to use any CSIF microscope system, regardless of experience.

Introduction to confocal microscopy

Next course date: TBA

Target audience - Investigators who have fluorescently tagged samples that are difficult to interpret using standard fluorescent microscopy techniques.

Confocal microscopy allows the visualization of fluorescent markers at high resolution in a single optical plane of a sample, while rejecting out of focus fluorescence that lies above or below the plane of interest - without requiring physical sectioning of the material. This enables investigators to more exactly determine the location of specific proteins or other tagged molecules within cells, as well as more precisely determine whether a set of proteins are colocalized.

Topics covered:

• What samples can be examined? 
• Is Confocal better than standard fluorescence for your sample? 
• What do you need to do before using the Confocal microscope? 
• How to choose the best fluorophore(s) and prepare samples 
• What kind of analysis can you do on the data?
• How can data files be turned into publishable pictures?

Introduction to deconvolution

Next course date: TBA

Target audience - Investigators who have fluorescently tagged samples that are difficult to interpret using standard fluorescent microscopy techniques.

Wide field deconvolution microscopy allows the visualization of fluorescent markers at high resolution in a single optical plane of a sample, while rejecting out of focus fluorescence that lies above or below the plane of interest - without requiring physical sectioning of the material. This is an alternative technology to confocal. This technology also enables investigators to more exactly determine the location of specific proteins or other tagged molecules within cells, as well as more precisely determine whether a set of proteins are colocalized.

Topics covered:

• What samples can be examined? 
• What are the specifications of the microscope? 
• What is the deconvolution algorithm? 
• How to best prepare samples

Introduction to Electron Microscopy

Next course date: TBA

Target Audience - researchers wanting an introduction to the basics of electron microscope image formation and capture. 

Photoshop - from images to figures