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WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

The course is designed for biological research scientists and advanced graduate students who use, or plan to apply, modern 3D microscopy in studies involving living cells. No previous experience in advanced light microscopy is required but applicants will be asked how they plan to use 3D microscopy and to describe a short research project involving living cells. Students with other interests in 3D light microscopy will be welcomed if space permits.

Classes meet from 8:30-12:00, 1:00 – 6:00 and 7:00 – 9:30 with lecture-demonstrations usually in the morning and laboratory sessions in the afternoon and evening.

There will be enough 3D microscopy setups to permit groups of 4-5 students to "learn-by-doing," often on their own specimens, during afternoon laboratory sessions. There are 14 2-hour lab periods during the 3D section of the course and 6-8 of these are devoted to set projects involving living cells.

 

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

As befits teaching in an area at the boundary of “what is now known,” lecturers have been chosen based on their expertise as scientists working in the field rather than because they all agree. They are encouraged more to be provocative than to be prosaic. Students should expect discussion in areas where differences of opinion exist.

Prior to the course, students will be organized into 8 groups plus a faculty advisor and encouraged to communicate by email/phone, about the "Living-cell" group projects that they will pursue during the course and that will be presented to the class on the last day. It has been found that group interactions make best use of all students’ prior experience and can be very effective in teaching the practical skills covered in a hands-on course of this type.

 

TRANSPORT OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL

Students must contact Dr. James Pawley to make necessary arrangements for the transport and maintenance of cell lines etc. needed for their projects. Organisms linked in any way with human or animal disease are not permitted because of safety considerations. Transport and customs arrangements for living specimens are entirely the responsibility of the student. Students also attending the 3D Image Processing Workshop may be able to analyze, process and display some of the 3D data they have collected from their own specimens.

3-D Image Processing Workshop The 3D IP Workshop will cover 3D image processing for measurement and display. It follows the Live-cell Course after a one-day break. Enrollment is limited to those attending the 3D Microscopy course. Tuition : $1,200 US (incl. lunches, snacks & Farewell Dinner) WHO SHOULD ATTEND? The course is designed for biologists working with multi-dimensional and possibly multicolor microscopical data sets. Getting the data is only half of the battle. Image data in 3, 4 or even 5 dimensions may be difficult to store let alone analyze or display. This workshop is to help students understand the hardware and software aspects of this problem and give them access to the techniques they need to make the best use of their data. Starting with a voluntary “pre-course” covering basic concepts on Friday afternoon, the main course runs over 3 days and is taught on SGI, Macintosh and Windows computers. A wide variety of software designed for the 3D microscopy market will be described, demonstrated and be used in laboratory sessions. These packages now include novel programs for 3D image analysis and measurement designed by members of the faculty. Workshop Organizers Felix Margadant - University of Sydney, Au Andres Kriete - Tissue Informatics, Pittsburgh, PA Faculty Pin Ching Cheng - State U. of New York, Buffalo Glen MacDonald - University of Washington, Seattle, WA Robert Murphy - Carnegie-Mellon, Pittsburgh Badri Roysam - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY PLAN OF INSTRUCTION Classes will meet from 8:30-12:00 and 1:00-6:00 with lecture-demonstrations followed immediately by hands-on laboratory sessions using workstations. Additional information at: www.3dcourse.ubc.ca/3dipoverview.htm Students will "learn-by-doing" with two to a machine. Lab handouts will describe specific exercises to be performed on “canned” data sets. Facilities and supervision will be available until 11:00 PM for students to work on their own data.

 

ACCOMMODATIONS

Campus accommodations in student rooms or suites are located at The Gage Towers, one block from the lecture-lab facilities and the Student Union Building (SUB). The SUB also contains a large cafeteria, several other food outlets, sushi bar, coffee shop, pub, cinema etc. Many of the upper rooms in the Gage Towers (premium single rooms) have breathtaking views of the mountains of West Vancouver, or Vancouver Island. A variety of accommodation types are available:

Students are encouraged to bring friends or family members to enjoy the beauty of the Vancouver area and the miles of lovely beaches and forested hiking trails surrounding the campus.

MEALS

Lunches and generous morning and afternoon snacks are provided. Other meals can be purchased in the SUB Cafeteria or in any of a number of nearby restaurants, but many students survive on our “snacks.” The Opening Reception and the Beach Party and the Manufacturers’ Reception are included in the tuition fee. Additional tickets can be purchased for accompanying persons.

TRAVEL

Air: The University campus is a 20-minute taxi ride from Vancouver International Airport.

Bus: For family members wishing to see the many sights, Vancouver has an excellent system of inexpensive and convenient public transportation. A major bus terminal is in easy walking distance of both the Gage residence hall and the classrooms.

Tours: Tours of Vancouver and surrounding area can be arranged.

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