Michael Hooker Microscopy Facility (MHMF.ORG)

1. Equipment

• A Leica-SP2 aobs confocal upright microscope with UV and visible excitation wavelengths, aotf beam splitter (replaces dichroic filters), detection with spectral separation, FRAP, FRET
• A Zeiss 510 meta laser scanning confocal inverted microscope with visible excitation wavelengths and spectral detection, FRAP, FRET
• A Perkin Elmer Ultraview LCI (Live Cell Imaging) laser spinning disc confocal microscope using the Yokogawa dual Nipkow disk confocal head (CS10)
• Thermo Atomic Force Microscope
• Leica AS-LMD - Laser Micro-Dissection system
• Inverted widefield microscope, Nikon TE2000U, with transmitted, DIC, phase contrast, time lapse, ratio imaging, FRET, simultaneous DIC/Fluorescence, DG4 rapid excitation filter changer, Sutter Lambda 10-2 emission filter wheel changer, DVC1412 cooled CCD & DVC IntensicamII 1412 cameras
• Upright microscope, Nikon Diaphot-SA, with high resolution pixel shifting color camera (Nikon DXM 1200)
• Dissecting microscope, Nikon, shares camera and acquisition system on Nikon Diaphot-SA
• Inverted fluorescence, transmitted and DIC widefield microscopes, Leica DMIRB, with MicroPublisher 3.3 megapixel cooled color & OrcaER cooled b/w camera
• 3 PC imaging workstations, one with dual monitors for analysis and viewing and the other with 1.5 GB of RAM for 3D rendering and video capture and processing
• 3D image deconvolution using XCOSM on a Red Hat Linux work station (planned)
• File server and domain controller, \\MINSKY  &  \\MARVIN.   The MHMICROSCOPY domain
• Web & FTP server.  see  http://MHmicroscopy.med.unc.edu/  or http://microscopy.unc.edu/
• Xerox Phaser 860 solid dye color printer.  On network, print to \\Minsky
• HP 1320 b/w laser printer, dual sided.  On network, print to \\Minsky
• Nuaire humidity controller incubator
• Various heated stages, air flow heater, objective heater, gas curtain
• Coherent laser power meter with visible sensor and in the future a UV sensor.
• Various software, including C-Imaging 6.0, Metamorph 4.6, Volocity 3, Photoshop 6 & 7, Premiere 6, Slicer, Leica TCS full offline analysis, Voxblast, Acrobat 5, ThumbsPlus 7

2. Mission Statement - Please note that this list is subject to change

The Michael Hooker Microscopy Facility provides high performance digital image acquisition, processing and analysis equipment and know how concentrating on light microscopy.  Multiple modes of imaging are supported including fluorescence, transmitted, interference contrast, phase contrast singly or in combination.  Images may be taken in time lapse mode on most equipment and also as z-sections on the confocal microscopes.  Staff is available to assist with training, operation, maintenance and trouble shooting of the equipment.  All users receive training on the use of specific equipment based, when practical, on their prior knowledge before being allowed to use any of the systems.  Training is directed  towards producing knowledgeable and independent users.  Sample preparation, image analysis and file archiving is solely the users' responsibility.  Advice is available, but the facility personnel can not perform experiments, gather data for users or be responsible for scientific outcome.  Most use of equipment is charged on a fee based on units time used and by the type of equipment used.  If time personnel time is available assistance with scanning may be provided at an additional cost.  Users may come from the UNC research community and carry out experiments that can not be reasonably performed in their own department or laboratory.

The facility is currently under the management of Dr. Michael Chua & Dr. William Davis, and is located in rooms 6129, 6033a, 6123 and 6033 of the Thurston Bowles Building in the School of Medicine.  Hardware resources are nominally available from 7 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday to trained users.  After hours use is permitted by validated experienced users.  Please make arrangements with the staff for access to the facility.  After hours building access requires key card access to the Thurston Bowles building.  The staff can assist in applying for permission after an application is filled out on line at: http://mhmicroscopy.med.unc.edu/users/UserAccess.html.  This form requires authorization from a facility director and for building access from a Thurston Bowles building manager.  If you do not already have a School of Medicine building access card the authorized form should be lodged with your home building manager.  This process can take about one week to complete.  Please plan ahead!

Training in the independent use and proper care of the microscopes, the associated computer equipment and software, some advice in experimental design and assistance in optimal use of the equipment and image processing and handling are available.  Once trained and approved, users are allowed independent access to the equipment.  Training, which involves major contact time, is done by appointment.

A World Wide Web booking calendar system at http://mhmicroscopy.med.unc.edu/booking.htm is provided for the facility, and is viewable on the world wide web.  Authorized users may make or cancel bookings. World Wide Web pages concerning usage of, information about and status of the equipment is located at http://MHmicroscopy.med.unc.edu.  These pages are under constant development and revision.

The facility staff assure that the facility, including optical, mechanical, software, network and computer components, is running efficiently and smoothly.  Occasionally small programs are written to assist in the handling of image data, especially multi-channel, z-series and time series data, and made available to authorized users of the facility.

Logs of equipment and ancillary computers usage are kept.  The information from these logs is passed on to the Office of Research in the School of Medicine, where accounting personnel prepare invoices.  In accordance with UNC recharge facility rules, all users are billed for time used.  PIs are billed via the usual UNC billing channels.

Staff duties include:

• Consulting:
  • Design of the facility resources
  • Operation of the facility resources
  • Scientific Collaborations
• Development:
  • Imaging techniques
  • Hardware
  • Optics 
  • Interfacing
  • Image acquisition software
  • Some custom programming
• Operations:
  • Training users
  • Maintenance
  • Image storage
  • Image transfer
  • Archiving of systems
• Facility Computing:
  • Image analysis
  • Image processing, 2-D
  • Image processing, 3-D
  • Image processing, time lapse
  • Image conversion software
  • Deconvolution (planned)
  • Network integration
  • Login accounts
• Facility Web pages:
  • Operational Instructions
  • Techniques
  • Theory
  • Booking
  • Billing information
• Training:
  • Microscopy
  • Image acquisition
  • Image processing
  • Optics
• Interact with the diverse array of researchers at UNC

3. Charges

• Charges will be based on usage time at a rate dependent on the equipment used.  Amounts are subject to change and are governed by UNC recharge account rules.
• Training
  • Leica or Zeiss Confocal microscopes 2 three hour sessions - rate per user
  • Perkin Elmer spinning disk three hour session - rate per user
  • Wide field microscopes with digital camera 90 minute session - rate per user
• Supplies
  • Solutions, slides coverslips, blank CDs DVD+RW, floppy disks, Zip disks, etc please bring your own.
  • Immersion oils, lens tissue, gases provided without direct charge
• Notes
  • Most computers have 16X (or better) CD writers (10 minute record time for 640 MBytes) for data transfer and archiving
  • Image processing workstation, Young has a DVD+RW drive
  • All computers are networked for file transfer/archiving
  • Accessing a shared computer remotely is free of charge but requires a username and password
  • Usage is billed in 15 minute units.  In accordance with standard accounting practice time units used beyond 1 minute will be charged as a full 15 minute unit.

4. Location

• The facility is on the 6th floor of the Thurston/Bowles building.  Room 6129.  Zeiss confocal room 6033a, enter via room 6129.  Leica confocal room 6123.  Perkin Elmer spinning disk confocal, room 6129, conventional fluorescence and transmitted light microscopes room 6129.  Office room 6007. 

5. Personnel

• Dr. Michael Chua  (director)
• Neal Kramarcy  (temporary)
• Oversight committee: Drs. William Davis, Ken Jacobson, Richard Superfine, Nancy Thompson

6. Funding

Capital funding for the facility is provided by an anonymous donor.  The Michael Hooker Microscopy Facility is a part of the proteomics initiative at UNC.  Funds derived from usage charges are directed to operational costs, including service contracts, maintenance, consumables and training staff.

Further information please contact the directors or the oversight committee or see the facility's web site at http://MHmicroscopy.med.unc.edu

		Copyright 2001-08  Dr. M. Chua, Office of Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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