Introduction to Imaging for Biological Research

Undergraduate / Graduate

Many breakthroughs in science have been made possible by revolutionary advances in our ability to visualize biological processes, and recent progress in microscopy has led to important breakthroughs in understanding life at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level. In this course, we will introduce the students to basic techniques in microscopy, starting with an opportunity for students to build their own simple microscopes, and then proceeding all the way to using state-of-the-art confocal, light sheet, and electron microscopes. Students will explore the challenges of sample preparation, of imaging processes in living cells, and in the computational analysis of imaging data. Throughout the course, students will be able to design their own experiments, and undertake a student-designed research project.