Micron Advanced Practical Course 2022 Structural Illumination Microscopy

This interactive course is aimed at microscopists interested in learning the nuts and bolts of Structural Illumination Microscopy and will cover the theoretical and practical aspects of SIM, including data reconstruction and quality control.  

Bioimaging Facility staff members actively managing or in the process of acquiring a SIM system and imaging scientists training users on a SIM system will highly benefit from this course. Scientists relatively new to SIM who wish to expand their experience in this super resolution technique are also welcome. Previous experience in SIM is beneficial but not essential. 

The course will run in person at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford from Sept 20th to 23rd inclusive. Lectures will be held in the morning with hands-on practical sessions in the afternoon. The following companies will showcase in-house their commercial SIM microscopes: 

• Imsol –  Deltavision OMX SR
• Nikon – N-SIM S
• Olympus – iSIM
• Zeiss - Elyra 7 with Lattice SIM²

Registration has now closed.  Successful applicants will be selected based on their motivation and relevance to the course. Applicants will be informed of a place on the course by Friday July 29th.  

This interactive course is aimed at microscopists interested in learning the nuts and bolts of Structural Illumination Microscopy and will cover the theoretical and practical aspects of SIM, including data reconstruction and quality control.  

Bioimaging Facility staff members actively managing  or in the process of acquiring a SIM system and  imaging scientists training users on a SIM system will highly benefit from this course. Scientists relatively new to SIM who wish to expand their experience in this super resolution technique are also welcome. Previous experience in SIM is beneficial but not essential. 

Lectures

• Introduction to SIM
• Commercial SIM systems
• SIM fundamental theory and data reconstruction
• Sample prep and artefacts in SIM
• SIM configuration and Optics 
• Story of SIM
• Development SIM technology

Practicals

• Hands on SIM systems and calibration 
• Image your own samples
• Preparation of quality control samples
• Computational/software data analysis - FairSIM open-source reconstruction software and SIMcheck FIJI plug-in

£280 Academic Rate and £480 Industrial Rate. The course fee includes all refreshments, lunch, and dinner each day (except evening on Thursday 22nd and the last day of the course Friday 23rd), laboratory consumables and a social events in Oxford (Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd). Payment will be required once attendance is confirmed by Micron staff after the application period. Please note accommodation and travel is not included in the course fee. Payment details will be sent to attendees in advance of the course. The course fee is VAT exempt. 

The full registration fee is payable in advance. Cancellations should be done in writing to micron@bioch.ox.ac.uk. There is a 10% charge for cancellations received before the 1st of September 2022. No refunds will be made for cancellations received after the 1st of September for the inability to attend the course for whatever reasons. The  University is not liable for non-attendance due to travel disruptions,  health problems or any other reason that might lead to a delegate not  being able to attend the course. Attendees are strongly advised to have appropriate insurance.  

Micron wish to acknowledge and thank our course sponsors.

This course is aimed at facility staff working with the DeltaVision OMX 3D structured illumination microscope (3D-SIM). The hands-on course covered a whole range of topics, theory, instrument design and details, calibration, sample preparation, reconstructions and data quality checks. The main speakers/tutors were Marcel Müller, Ian Dobbie and Lothar Schermelleh.