http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/Advice-for-confocal-training-tp7580015p7580038.html
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> Hi Philippe,
>
> thanks for the details how you train your users. My experience
> is very similar to yours that a new user requires about 10hrs of
> training/work with confocal before he/she can start productively
> work on their imaging project independently. On the other
> hand about 3hrs of practical training (i.e showing which buttons
> to push and which icons to click) is fairly enough to prevent
> users from breaking the equipment. Most of my users assume
> that this is enough of me wasting their time and typically
> prefer as a first choice to ask their previously trained coworkers which
> buttons
> to push. I kind of understand their quick pace which (as you wrote) often
> is imposed
> by a lab leader requesting quick results. Moreover, usually sample
> preparation
> takes much longertime than imaging and still does not guarantee good
> picture.
>
>
> Unfortunately, until now our campus did not have theoretical
> course on bioimaging/microscopy but I am working hard to change
> this. It that respect your experience is very useful.
>
> Finally, I wonder how it is possible to crash a stage (never saw or heard
> anything of such kind). Our inverted Axiovert 200M has a button to set the
> top
> limit of objective advancement which protects from crashing lens. However,
> the caveat is if somebody pushes that button at wrong z-position (while
> objective
> is outside working distance) then it is not possible to focus without
> restarting
> the microscope power.
>
> Best,
> Arvydas
>
>
> >>> phil laissue <
[hidden email]> 3/19/2013 12:14 PM >>>
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> Hi Arvydas,
>
> thanks for the feedback. I run four lectures (basics, dynamic range,
> colour, 3D & time-lapse) of 1.5 to 2 hours each (depending on questions) at
> the start of each term. I also have a three-day course each year with four
> 1.5h lectures followed by practicals. The third day is used entirely for
> samples the users have prepared. A strong point of the lectures is the
> practical aspect. I talk about the focal planes, lazy oil, and teach them a
> standard procedure to find their cells. This sounds very pedestrian, but
> I've seen often how PhDs spend half their time at the 'scope looking for
> their cells. We've also had two crashed stages (but luckily no objectives
> were hurt) in the first half year of having the new instruments, and the
> new way avoids that. It would be good to have parking sensors on stages. I
> still have to figure out if it can be done software-wise with NIS-Elements.
> I fully agree that many users could possibly care less, but not by a very
> large margin. I run the courses with interested students in mind, but also
> have the lectures on a training website, so they can be downloaded and
> studied in advance of a practical session. Printouts and crib sheets
> complement that. What does help with motivation is to make students
> understand that bioimaging is a hot area and increasingly desired on CVs.
> And so I end up with about one third interested, good, careful users, one
> third routine (but responsible) users, and one third of intermittent (and
> rather bored) users.
> David Piston, and John, are of course right. Rigorously speaking, you can
> probably only truly understand (and appreciate) a system if you've built
> one yourself. But multi-user facilities with all members having such
> insight and skills must be extremely rare. For many, it's just an
> instrument they want to use. So to some degree, I have the lectures for
> myself. Just showing the users which button to push is not fun. However, in
> defense of the students, it seems that the pressure and lack of
> understanding for the complexity of the matter (or the time it requires to
> do it properly) comes in some cases from the group leader. So another point
> I put forward is that it only makes sense to embark on a bioimaging project
> if they're willing, ready and able to put in the time; sample optimisation,
> proper image acquisition, and image analysis being aspects that can swallow
> a lot of time. But there's no 'quick & dirty' way to do it really, unless
> all they want is a pretty picture for a publication. So the minimum time
> charged for confocal training is 10h. Alison North's article (Seeing is
> believing? A beginners' guide to practical pitfalls in image acquisition)
> really helps to drive that point home as well. And when a user gets the
> imaging bug, all that effort seems worth while...
>
> Best regards
>
> Philippe
>
>
> _____________________________________
> Philippe Laissue, PhD, Bioimaging Manager
> School of Biological Sciences, Room 4.17
> University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
> (0044) 01206 872246 / (0044) 07842 676 456
>
[hidden email]
> privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~plaissue
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 19, 2013 at 1:23 AM, Arvydas Matiukas <
[hidden email]
> >wrote:
>
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> >
> > Hi Philippe,
> >
> > I am impressed by the content and scope of your general lectures.
> > I wonder how many hours they take. I wish I could implement
> > something similar, however, I am 99% positive that biomedical grad
> > students that are typical users will get bored to death. On the
> > other side, without a proper prerequisite of math/physics/optics
> > users woudn't be able to in depth grasp the basic microscopy
> > elements.
> >
> > Regarding Jon's question I would like to suggest to use Zeiss or
> > Leica's confocal training presentations (just google them).
> > They contain a well balanced mixture of theory/practise/applications, and
> > take about 3-4 hrs to cover.
> > Regarding training cost, basic trainingin my Core is below $100 ( the
> > policy is
> > to atract a new customer without scaring him/her with high price).
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Arvydas
> > ---------------------------------
> >
> >
> >
> > Arvydas Matiukas, Ph.D.
> > Director of Confocal&Two-Photon Imaging Core Facility
> > Department of Pharmacology
> > SUNY Upstate Medical University
> > 766 Irving Ave., WH 3159
> > Syracuse, NY 13210
> > tel.: 315-464-7997
> > fax: 315-464-8014
> > email:
[hidden email]
> >
> > >>> phil laissue 03/18/13 8:40 PM >>>
> > *****
> > To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> >
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> >
> > Hi there,
> >
> > it really depends on the targeted users - needs differ much depending on
> > the place/lab. I tailor practical sessions usually to individual needs,
> but
> > have general lectures at the start. Basic lectures include: when to use a
> > confocal, dynamic range, histograms, saturation, pixels, LUTs + real
> > colour, basic filter settings, bleed-through; z-stack, zoom, Nyquist,
> > step/pinhole/image sizes, scan speed, laser power vs detector gain, SNR,
> > averaging/summing, considerations for experimental setup and live cell
> > imaging, sample quality control; PSF deconvolution, visualisation
> > (tiling/projections, scalebars, contrast) and preparing figures/movies
> for
> > presentation/publication. Basics in practicals include finding your cells
> > without crashing the lens (for automated XY stages), adjusting channels,
> > bleaching, taking a z-stack. We don't have too many users wanting
> advanced
> > techniques, so I keep information on TIRF/spectral/resonant/FRAP et
> > al./advanced image analysis options to a 'this is what it can do' level,
> > and get into details if they want to/need to use it.
> > For basic use, I hear that the LSM 700 does the job, but myself would
> > consider a Thorlab kit (although that again depends on the user basis) or
> > second-hand model (510, SP2, Radiance in good shape). I'm happy with our
> A1
> > workhorse.
> > Samples depend on the users in question, but transiently transfected
> cells
> > with varying intensities, strongly autofluorescent samples, diatoms,
> beads,
> > bulky whole mounts and poor slides (e.g. with air bubbles or poor signal)
> > all come in handy to make certain points...
> > I'm sure I forgot a few things, but hope this helps for starters.
> >
> > Kind regards
> >
> > Philippe
> >
> > _____________________________________
> > Philippe Laissue, PhD, Bioimaging Manager
> > School of Biological Sciences, Room 4.17
> > University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
> > (0044) 01206 872246 / (0044) 07842 676 456
> >
[hidden email]
> > privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~plaissue
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Mar 18, 2013 at 9:56 PM, jmkrupp jmkrupp wrote:
> >
> > > *****
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> > >
> > > Greetings
> > >
> > > Just a quick note to ask if anyone would like to give me some advice
> > about
> > > getting started with a confocal training program.
> > >
> > > We do EM and LM already, thinking of adding LSCM. Any advice about must
> > > includes, good practice specimens , techniques etc?
> > >
> > > How about insights into instrurments, how basic can we go?, what cost
> > range
> > > should we be thinking.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Jon
> > >
> >
>