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Keenan Research Centre - Facilities & Resources

Bioimaging Centre - Guidelines

The principal priorities of the BioIMAGING Centre are to provide access to our currently available imaging technology and to maintain the equipment in uninterrupted, optimal operating condition. To achieve these goals, operational guidelines have been put in place. This is for the benefit of all users.

New Accounts

All principal investigators will complete a form, including names of all users associated with their research group who will be using the equipment. A Cost Center number should be included in the application (see Application Form). Whenever a new user starts working in the facility, he/she will be assigned their own user ID and password.

Training

All new users must show competence in the use of the equipment, by attending a separate training session on each of the microscope systems. All training will be done by Judy Trogadis. Users must demonstrate a thorough familiarity with the equipment and associated software prior to unassisted use. Users without any previous microscope experience will be required to attend a tutorial course to familiarize themselves with basic principles and techniques of microscopy.

Scheduling

For scheduling, currently, users must book a time, in writing, in the calendars provided next to each piece of equipment. At the completion of a session, the length of usage must be entered into a logbook. Tardiness of more than 30 minutes will result in forfeiture of reserved time and anyone can claim this period. In the future, on-line booking will become available.

Users will be charged a fee (see Fee Schedule) for time used. Anyone missing an appointment, without prior cancellation will be penalized by being billed for the reserved time period.

Live cell experiments

Anyone planning long-term vital microscopy experiments must submit the following details for approval, prior to commencing:

  1. Aim of the experiment
  2. Detailed protocol
  3. Resources required
  4. Anticipated hours of use, length of project

Billing

In order to offset some of the expenses incurred in the operation of the BioIMAGING Centre, a ‘fee for service' model has been implemented (see Fee Schedule). Every few months, a detailed confirmation of the charges incurred will be sent to each researcher and their grants will be debited.

Since all computers are protected by user ID and password, specific for each user, and since usage is monitored, do not share your profile with anyone and always logout at the end of your session, otherwise your supervisor will be billed for time you did not use.

Safety

Guidelines are also in place to address safety issues. By the time a sample is brought into the facility, it should not have the same degree of hazard associated with it as it had during preparation. Gloves should not be worn when using a computer keyboard or focusing a microscope. A microscope stage should not have any residue on it after someone has finished using it, and both slides and outside surfaces of samples should be clean and dry.

Data storage

The hard drives of the computers attached to the microscopes have limited storage space, therefore, users must be responsible for backing up their own data. If this is not carried out voluntarily, a maximum space limit per user will be applied. After this level is reached, no more data can be written to the disk. Furthermore, data can be stored for a time period of only 30 days. After this time, data could be deleted.

Problems

If you notice any problems or changes in setup, please do not attempt to fix the equipment yourself. If the quality of your captured images is less than expected, or if you haven't used a piece of equipment for a while and need a refresher, please contact:

Judy Trogadis
Phone: 416-864-6060 Ext. 6337
E-mail: TrogadisJ@smh.toronto.on.ca.