TEM, SEM, Confocal, µCT and Imaging Techniques - It's All Here
Welcome to Microscopy Otago's web site. We're here to ensure you obtain the best possible advice and training in using our equipment. Plus, help you make the most out of your data.
There is much more to microscopy than simply an image, a few minutes discussion prior to starting your investigation can save a lot of time, frustration and money, later on.
Latest Exciting Stuff
Liquid N2 Generator
If you've ever yelled at your kids to curb their voracious appetites with the line, 'apples don't grow on trees!' then spare a thought for the users of liquid nitrogen.
About 78% of the Earth's atmosphere is nitrogen, so it's not like there isn't enough to go around. Irritatingly, for the purposes of cryo-fixation, atmospheric nitrogen is useless. To produce liquid nitrogen, atmospheric nitrogen is compressed, purified to remove unwanted gases and then liquified following further drying and cooling. This process requires sophisticated engineering and control systems. It might literally come out of thin air, but it comes at a price.
Liquid nitrogen is used in cryo-fixation of electron microscopy samples. A challenging technique, but one which is acknowledged around the world as the best method to preserve ultrastructural intergrity. If associated with a cryo-TEM, researchers can literally go where nobody has gone before.
The main users of the facility will be the nearby electron microscopy facility, which has pushed for this facility for many years. The final push can be seen in the photograph above.
Workshops
November is shaping up to be a busy month for workshops. Not all workshops are yet confirmed, but further announcments will be made neaer the starting dates. It's unfortunate that so many exciting workshops are now concentrated in November, but this has resulted from changing availabilities of the various guests.
- SEM / VP SEM EBSD, currently with Steve Chapman, Dave Prior and one other. Monday 31st October to Friday 4th November. The status of this workshop is not yet confirmed.
- Cryoultramicrotomy with George Posthuma, Utrecht. Monday 14th November to Friday 18th Nov. Watch this space for confirmation.
- Correlative microscopy with Rick Powell, Nanoprobes and Filip Braet, University of Sydney. Monday 21st November to Friday 25th November (the week after the cryoultramicrotomy workshop). This workshop is almost confirmed, but again, keep watching for updates.
- Kerrie Venner, our visiting Winston Churchill Fellow (from Institute of Neurology in London) arrives Tuesday 15th November and will be with us until Thursday 12th January. Kerrie will try array tomography and exchange ideas on other techniques while here.
So, pencil these dates in your diaries, more details to follow as plans come together.
Student Award Round One for 2011
Congratulations to the two students who were recently awarded the OCEM 2011 (round one) EM Student Awards.
Christophe Dumas from the Chemistry Department (Supervisor Carla Meledandri) won his award to undertake a project titled 'Development and characterisation of multifunctional nanomaterials for drug delivery and therapeutic applications'. His will use the TEM,requiring his specimens to be prepared using freeze fracture and negative staining techniques.
The second Award was given to Stephanie Ting for her project titled 'The influence of a metal conditioner on the bond strength and residual stress of a porcelain-fused-to- metal system' Stephanie is from the Oral Rehabilitation Department and is supervised by Neil Waddell. Her project will involve SEM imaging and EDS.
Normally only one Award is offered in each round. The selection panel felt that due to the diversity of projects submitted to this round, both in research interest and investigative techniques, two awards should be made.
The next EM Student Award closing date is September 1 2011. Follow 'Site News' link for more details on the recipients' projects.
Note: The facilites and expertise of the staff are available to anyone at the University of Otago and beyond. Please feel free to contact any of the staff members for advice before you begin a project. If we can't help you, we'll probably know who can.
