Our state-of-the-art cell imaging facility houses 6 Zeiss Axioskop Plus microscopes (3 inverted and 3 upright) for fluorescence and differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy. Each microscope is equipped for digital imaging with AxioCam cameras interfaced to six computer stations with the most recent versions of Zeiss AxioVision Imaging softwares. This facility is open for use by courses and student and faculty researchers.
For example, students in our introductory course BIOL0145 Cells and Genetics used this facility to examine protein expression patterns in muscle cells at different time points in their differentiation process. For her senior thesis work, Qiaqia Wu (MBBC ‘08) monitored the expression of antioxidant proteins during the development of ovarian follicles in the bovine and at times when the female gamete acquires the ability to become an embryo.
The facility was created in 2001 by Professor Christopher Watters through the NSF-CCLI program for advanced student research in cellular and developmental biology.