Registration

Welcome to the new user information section.

In order to become a trained user of one or more of our facilities, there are just a few hoops to jump through:

1. Send us an email in advance. The contacts for each facility can be found in the Members section. Emails to the whole team are preferred (rather than to the team leader or an individual team member) This allows a shorter response time and more coherent team service for you. Your email should contain:
   • Your name, position (Masters / PhD Student, Post Doc, Technician, RGL, Professor, Director etc.) contact details, research institution and group (group leader name)
   • A short description of your project:
     • Goals of imaging: What basic hypothesis are you testing? What data is required to test that hypothesis? How will you analyse the data to test the hypothesis?
     • Type of sample, organism/tissue, preparation, mounting, safety level (S1 etc)
     • Bright Field / Phase contrast / DIC / Negative Staining etc. - Contrast method?
     • Fluorophores (fluorescent protein or antibody-dye) - how many, spectral compatibility, laser lines / excitation wavelengths needed, what emission filters needed?
     • Special objective lens, heating / cooling / environmental control or other tools needed?
2. Based on your answers, we will work with you to identify the most appropriate imaging and image processing/analysis systems and strategies. This can be done via email, or better by a direct consultation/chat.
3. All our facilities are based on a transparent recharge system, in order to cover the running costs. Therefore, administration (or in some cases we) need to know who will get recharged for the time you use on our equipment and for facility assistant's help. Two ways of recharge are possible:
   • (recommended) via a Billing Group: For this, your identity needs to be attached to the billing group of your research group leader. For MPI-CBG facilities you should get a log in name (unix name) from MPI-CBG computer department for making facility bookings inside MPI-CBG. Then you will have access to the services and facilities booking databases inside MPI-CBG. For imaging@biotec, you have to print, sign and bring the following forms: Kostenuebernahmeerklaerung + SDP-Nutzerordnung.
   • you get a bill - please let us know to whom the bill has to go.
4. Depending on the facility location, you also need to get an access card to enter the buildings and rooms of interest.
5. After the administrative issues are solved, we will next teach you how to use the equipment appropriate for your project. The necessary time depends on the complexity of the system and your project, as well as on your knowledge in the field of microscopy. Usually two sessions per system are a good choice, the first one about the basics, the second one for optimizing the system for your samples. Even if you are an experienced user, we strongly recommend that we sit with you at the system and check if everything works for you as it should.
6. Once you know how to use the systems for your project, you can start to use them independently, but we are always there to help you - in person or by the team email addresses. Don't be afraid to ask. The scheduling databases allow you to book the systems.