Microscopic Imaging Core Facility
Welcome
Welcome to the web page of the Microscopic Imaging Core
Facility of the Biology Department at Wake Forest University. Here
you can learn about our facility, our image capture and analysis
capabilities, find instructions for various pieces of equipment,
find technical documentation, and local users may reserve time on a
system using our web-based calendar.
Mission Statement.
The mission of the Microscopic Imaging Core Facility is to
provide microscopic instruments and training that enhances the
research and educational opportunities in the Biology department at
Wake Forest University.
Philosophy.
Humans are extremely visually-oriented creatures who rely on
sight to navigate, understand, and interact with the world. This is
especially true in the realm of scientific inquiry. Whether the
field is molecular biology or ecology, image instrumentation is
critical to conducting successful research projects. Images are the
medium for data collection, archiving, analysis, and dissemination.
In the Biology department at Wake Forest University, imaging is a
central component of both education and research for faculty,
graduate students, and undergraduates. The importance of imaging is
illustrated by the presence of a core facility dedicated to
microscopic and macroscopic imaging and the incorporation of imaging
methodologies into the curriculum of students. As a core facility,
the equipment located here is available for the research needs of
faculty and students in the Biology department, as well as
throughout the university and the Winston-Salem academic community.
Description.
The Imaging Facility is supported by the Biology Department, and
is located in the new wing of Winston Hall in Room 002. The facility
is an approximately 670 sq. ft. suite consisting of five rooms.
There are four rooms dedicated to a Zeiss Axioplan upright
microscope, Zeiss Axiovert 100 inverted microscope, Leica MZ16 FA stereomicroscope, and an Amray 1810
scanning electron microscope, respectively. Additionally, there is a
large, central room containing a 64-bit high performance computer
workstation dedicated to image processing and analysis, an Olympus
SZX 12 stereomicroscope for still and video image capture, and bench
space and equipment for sample preparation, including a rotary
microtome, vibratome, sputter coater, and critical point dryer. A
document describing these imaging
systems is available in PDF format. Consistent with the
university’s network infrastructure, the facility offers both wired
and wireless network access. A dedicated server is available for
storing all microscopy-related files.
A confocal microscope located on the Bowman Gray
campus of Wake Forest University is also available for research use
by members of the Biology department. The microscope is a Zeiss LSM
510 laser scanning confocal microscope and is equipped with 10-63x
objectives and one argon and two helium-neon lasers. Though the
facility director will gladly escort users to the confocal, instructions
for use of the confocal microscope are available.
News
Recent Publications.
Muday GK, Brady SR, Argueso C, Deručre J, Kieber JJ, and DeLong A. (2006) RCN1-regulated phosphatase activity and EIN2 modulate hypocotyl gravitropism by a
mechanism that does not require ethylene signaling. Plant
Physiology: 141: In press
Buer CS, Sukumar P, and Muday GK. (2006) Ethylene
induced flavonoid synthesis modulates root gravitropism. Plant
Physiology: 140: 1384-1396
Buer CS, and Muday GK. (2004) The transparent testa4
mutation prevents flavonoid synthesis and alters auxin transport and
the response of Arabidopsis roots to gravity and light. Plant Cell,
16: 1191-1205.
Sun H, Basu S, Brady SR, Luciano RL, and Muday GK.
(2004) Interactions between auxin transport and the actin
cytoskeleton in developmental polarity of Fucus distichus embryos in
response to light and gravity. Plant Physiology: 135: 266-278
Rogers-Lowery, C. L., R. V. Dimock, Jr. and R. E.
Kuhn. 2006. Antibody response of bluegill sunfish during development
of acquired resistance against the larvae of the freshwater mussel
Utterbackia imbecillis Develop. & Comp. Immunol. (Available
online at Science Direct, 16 June)
Dodd, B. J., M. C. Barnhart, C. L. Rogers-Lowery, T.
B. Fobian, R. V. Dimock, Jr., 2006. Persistence of host response
against glochidia larvae in Micropterus salmoides. Fish &
Shellfish Immunol. (Available online at Science Direct, 6 March).
Rogers-Lowery, C. L. and R. V. Dimock, Jr. 2006.
Encapsulation of attached ectoparasitic larvae of freshwater mussels
by epithelial tissue on fins of naive and resistant host fish. Biol.
Bull. 210: 51-63.
Dodd, B. J., M. C. Barnhart, C. L. Rogers-Lowery, T.
B. Fobian, R. V. Dimock, Jr., (2005) Cross-resistance of largemouth
bass to glochidia of unionid mussels. J. Parasitol. 91: 1064-1072
Fisher, G. R. and R. V. Dimock, Jr. 2002.
Morphological and molecular changes during metamorphosis in
Utterbackia imbecillis (Bivalvia: Unionidae) J. Moll. Stud. 68:
159-164.
Fisher, G. R. and R. V. Dimock, Jr. 2002.
Ultrastructure of the mushroom body: digestion during metamorphosis
of Utterbackia imbecillis (Bivalvia: Unionidae) Invert. Biol. 121:
126-135.
Schwartz, M. L. and R. V. Dimock, Jr. 2001.
Ultrastructural evidence for nutritional exchange between brooding
unionid mussels and their glochidia larvae. Invert. Biol. 120:
227-236.
Recent Grants.
Multi-User Biological Equipment and Instrumentation Grant,
DBI-0500702, NSF, “A Stereomicroscope Imaging System for
Faculty-Student Research in the Microscopy Core Facility at Wake
Forest University”, 05/01/2005-04/30/2008
The Cannon Foundation, Inc., "Enhancement of Imaging
Capabilities", 03/2006 - 03/2007
User
Information
Facility Director: The facility is run by
the Director of Microscopy, Dr. Anita
McCauley, whose office is located in Winston Hall, Room 016.
User Guidelines.To ensure the
proper use, care, and maintenance of the instruments in the
Microscopy Core Facility, users are asked to comply with a series of
guidelines that focus on access and proper use of facility
instruments and supplies. These User
Guidelines are available in PDF format. Users must complete a
training session with the Facility Director before using
any equipment. Most training sessions take about one hour.
Users will be required to complete an Annual Report
each December that will summarize microscope usage, relate that work
to funded projects, and list any publications or presentations
resulting from microscopy facility resources.
Scheduling Time.Users may reserve
time on a microscope or computer station using web-based calendars.
Click
Here to Schedule an Appointment
(note: calendar is
viewable on campus only)
