2009 Analytical and Quantitative Light Microscopy Course

[Jason Swedlow]

Dear All-

Just a reminder about about the upcoming run on Analytical and Quantitative Light Microscopy, held at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA.  The course will run May 6 - 15, 2009. 

AQLM is a  comprehensive and intensive course in light microscopy for researchers in biology, medicine, and material sciences. This course provides a systematic and in-depth examination of the theory of image formation and application of video and digital methods for exploring subtle interactions between light and the specimen. This course emphasizes the quantitative issues that are critical to the proper interpretation of images obtained with modern wide-field and confocal microscopes.

Laboratory exercises, demonstrations, and discussions include: (1) geometrical and physical optics of microscope image formation including Abbe's theory of the microscope and Fourier optics; (2) interaction of light and matter; (3) phase contrast polarization and interference microscopy for the nondestructive analysis of molecular and fine-structural organization in living cells; (4) fluorescence microscopy, quantification of fluorescence, and GFP; (5) principles and application of digital video imaging, recording, analysis, and display; (6) digital image processing and quantitative digital image deconvolution; (7) ratiometric measurement of intracellular ion concentrations; (8) confocal microscopy; and (9) new advances in light microscopy such as FRET, FLIM, TIRF, and pattern illumination.

AQLM is supported by all the major commercial imaging providers, and the representatives are some of the best microscopy applications experts around.  With 26-30 students, 16 academic faculty and ~40 commercial faculty. Students have a truly unique opportunity to learn from a very broad knowledge base, from experts from a wide variety of imaging domains.

The course web site is at http://www.mbl.edu/education/courses/special_topics/aqlm.html

Within the course, we often refer to AQLM as "Microscopy Boot Camp".  It's intense, it's hardcore, but it's really fun (http://beadsinmay.blogspot.com/).

You have a day or two to think about it-- why not join us for AQLM.  You'll never forget it.

Cheers,

Jason

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Wellcome Trust Centre for Gene Regulation & Expression
College of Life Sciences
MSI/WTB/JBC Complex
University of Dundee
Dow Street
Dundee  DD1 5EH
United Kingdom

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Lab Page: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/lifesciences/swedlow/
Open Microscopy Environment: http://openmicroscopy.org
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[Tim O'Brien Sr.]

Dear Microscopists-

For all those not going to AQLM this year, I wanted to bring to your attention the fifth offering of the Carolina Workshop on Force Measurement and Manipulation in Biological Microscopy, presented by Computer Integrated Systems for Microscopy and Manipulation (CISMM), will be given on May 12-15, 2009.  

We demonstrate how to use magnetic tweezers, a laser trap, combined fluorescence-AFM, and microfluidics to apply and assess forces on the cellular and subcellular scales.The theory for low Reynold's number forces and the force microscopies are covered in lectures in the mornings, and hands-on demos on each instrument are presented in the afternoons.  A final day is reserved for working through free software for evaluation of data, including tracking, data simulation, and 3D rendering.  The software is also available at any time for download at http://cismm.cs.unc.edu/downloads/). 

CISMM is an NIH NIBIB Biotechnology Resource Center.  The site is the beautiful UNC Chapel Hill campus, and the May weather is still excellent.  Our keynote speaker this year is Prof. Les Loew, U. Conn. Health Sciences, head of the National Resource for Cell Analysis and Modeling.

Space is limited to about 20 attendees, which gives lots of hands-on time at each microscope, but generates lots of discussion.  Participants are encouraged to bring samples of interest to test.  

For more detailed information or to print off a flier to post:   http://cismm.cs.unc.edu/resources/events/

Costs are $775 and include supplies , breakfasts, and a keynote dinner, but does not include lodging.  

To apply and arrange accommodations, contact Cassandra Houston at (919)-962-4057.

Hope to see you there!

Tim O'Brien

UNC Physics