Advanced microscopy course in plant science
designed, to respond to a question of interest to the student.
The five training days will include theoretical lectures, hands-on demos, talks by
guest speakers, small group discussions and student presentations. Guest speakers will present in short talks covering exciting cutting-edge research done with basic and advanced confocal microscopy, image processing as well as other advanced light microscopy methods. The lectures will present the theory behind these methods and will be immediately followed in the afternoons by hands-on demo and practice on the microscopes. The students will have the option to test all microscopes with their own samples so that they may evaluate the benefits of different microscope configurations. Throughout the course the students will work in pairs with the supervision/support of the course teachers, to refine the type of imaging experiments and approaches they wish to perform during their independent work on the course. Students will then have 4 full days dedicated to making images on the microscopes and analyzing their images, working in pairs and with supervision/support from the course teachers. The course concludes with student group presentations regarding their results, issues with their specimen, and potential solutions for future studies. Presentations are mandatory to fulfill the course.
Syllabus and other information
Syllabus
PFS0183 Advanced microscopy course in plant science, 3.0 Credits
Subjects
BiologyEducation cycle
Postgraduate levelGrading scale
Language
EnglishPrior knowledge
To be able to grasp the course content, participation in the course "Lightmicroscopy and sample preparation in plant sciences, PFS0179", or similar courses about the basics of light microscopy is a prerequirement. Students who have taken the "Light microscopy and sample preparation in plant sciences, PFS0179" will be admitted in priority.
Objectives
After the end of the course the student will be able to
- describe and apply the basic principles of confocal microscopy and operate
the microscopes and their advanced functionalities: Z-scan, time lapse,
multi-channel, sequential, spectral unmixing, FRAP, and Airyscan (Highresolution
and Fast),etc.
- describe and understand the basic principles of Multiphoton Fluorescence
Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Fluorescence-
Activated Cell Sorting (FACS).
- choose the most appropriate technique for their sample observation,
diagnose basic problems and optimally set up the microscope for their use.
- apply simple image processing (segmentation, signal intensity
quantification, etc.), and create simple image processing macro in ImageJ.
- critically evaluate the results of a microscopy experiment.
Content
The goal of the course is for the student to develop practical skills and a theoretical understanding of confocal microscopy and quantitative image analysis as well as an overall grasp of advanced microscopy methods for plants biology, including AFM and FACS. During this course, the students will get information, tools, and practice in order to select the appropriate strategy based on various plant tissues and biological problems. The five training days are spaced out over two weeks, with mandatory time for independent work (Hands-on imaging at microscope and image analysis) in between to allow students to apply new information directly to their own plant samples. The students are expected to have a sample of interest that they would like to study/image/analyse, or a specific question requiring imaging/image analysis. While they will not perform full experiments and entirely solve scientific questions during the course, the goal of the course is to a quire the knowledge and experience required to afterwards perform the experiments
designed, to respond to a question of interest to the student.
The five training days will include theoretical lectures, hands-on demos, talks by
guest speakers, small group discussions and student presentations. Guest speakers will present in short talks covering exciting cutting-edge research done with basic and advanced confocal microscopy, image processing as well as other advanced light microscopy methods. The lectures will present the theory behind these methods and will be immediately followed in the afternoons by hands-on demo and practice on the microscopes. The students will have the option to test all microscopes with their own samples so that they may evaluate the benefits of different microscope configurations. Throughout the course the students will work in pairs with the supervision/support of the course teachers, to refine the type of imaging experiments and approaches they wish to perform during their independent work on the course. Students will then have 4 full days dedicated to making images on the microscopes and analyzing their images, working in pairs and with supervision/support from the course teachers. The course concludes with student group presentations regarding their results, issues with their specimen, and potential solutions for future studies. Presentations are mandatory to fulfill the course.
Additional information
Mandatory presence at Umeå Plant Science Center is required for the 5 days of the course where lectures, demos, discussions and presentations are held. Between course days, the student is required to do independent work with microscopy and sample preparation in the laboratory. Lectures, demonstrations, laboratory practice, individual experimental work, and a required group final presentation are all modes of teaching.Contact person; Peter Marhavy peter.marhavy@slu.se
Responsible department
Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology