The Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Confocal Microscope Facility

The Confocal Facility consists of a recently purchased Leica TCS SP2 microscope and a PC computer workstation. The Facility is housed in room 251 on the 2nd floor of Queen Lane in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy. The director is Dr. Young-Jin Son, and the Facility manager is Dr. Alessandro Di Maio, a postdoctoral fellow of Dr. Son. Dr. Di Maio trains new users, oversees day-to-day operation, maintains the Facility, and updates the reservation calendar and schedule of the microscope. Dr. Son supervises the overall operation by establishing rules and procedures for use of the microscope and deals with problems or issues that arise.

General Policies

Use of the microscope is restricted to investigators within the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy.

All users must obtain training prior to unsupervised use of the microscope, regardless of use by other workers from the same laboratory or prior experience with a similar microscope.

The microscope is available to eligible users after training in proper procedures and guidelines.

Access to the facility is allowed between 8am and 6pm Monday through Friday, except with special authorization.

Routine assistance in operating the confocal microscope is available from Dr. Di Maio (215-991-8471). Individual researchers are responsible for conducting their own imaging sessions on the microscope.

Problems while using the microscope should be reported immediately to the Facility manager, Dr. Di Maio. Failure to do so will result in loss of microscopic privileges.

Reservation

Users may obtain permission and schedule time on the microscope up to two weeks in advance.

Users should email the director and manager: 1) very brief description of the images to be collected and methods (BF, UV, Fluorescence), 2) preferred dates and hours of use, and 3) the name of PI.

example: 1) BF and Rhodamine fluorescence of spinal cord cryosections, 2) 8/1/09 Friday 3-5 PM, 8/2/09 Sat 9-11AM, 3) Dr. Son.

The microscope will be available for use in blocks of 4-hour maximum time slots.

The Facility manager should be notified of cancellation at least 12hrs in advance.

Under no circumstances may a user sign up for time using another person’s name.

Training

Principal Investigators should contact the director to request training of his/her students.

Training (3 hours) is performed on a monthly basis by Dr. Di Maio, with the permission of the Director.

Microscope handling

Users can obtain a key for the Facility from either Dr. Di Maio, or The Neurobiology and Anatomy Office.

Users should record their actual log-in and out time in the microscope log located next to the microscope.

Oil getting on a non-oil objective (i.e., 5X) must be cleaned immediately with ethanol and reported to the Facility Manager.

Spills must be cleaned immediately and reported for further technical care. Individuals who do not report spills will not be able to use the facility again.

At the end of each session, oil objective lenses should be cleaned with the provided lens paper and 70% ethanol.

Users are responsible for ensuring that the microscope is shut down properly. If the microscope is not scheduled to be used again for at least 1 hour following a session (ask the Facility Manager), all components of the microscope should be shut down according to the posted shutdown procedure.

Computers

Users are not allowed to download or install software on the computer without permission.

Users should back-up their files on CD or other storage mediums, and delete their files from hard disks by the end of each month. The Facility Manager will remove data remaining on the hard drive during routine maintenance.

Cancellation of user privileges

Failure to follow the rules and procedures will be subject to penalty including permanent loss of access to the microscope at the discretion of the Director and Manager of the Facility. In general, users and their PI will be expected to pay for expenses incurred by misuse of the microscope. Mistakes made in good faith and reported promptly may be pardoned.