The CSUPERB Confocal Microscope Core
Facility was established through funding provided by the National Science Foundation grant
# DUE-9651379 awarded to CSU Stanislaus and CSU Hayward, California State University
Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB), and California State
University, Stanislaus. The primary purpose of the Confocal Multi-user Core Facility is to
provide access to a Leica TCS NT confocal laser scanning microscope for the faculty and
students in the California State University System. Access is available through on-site
visitation or remote access connectivity. The facility is also available to users from
many other institutions, including community colleges and high schools.
There are two major goals of the
facility. One is to provide an enriched resource center for conducting faculty and student
research projects. Expertise can be drawn from the numerous faculty members associated
with the 23 campuses that comprise the California State University System. The second goal
is to develop curricular modules involving the confocal microscope in courses appropriate
for junior college, upper division undergraduate, and graduate level courses. Images
generated from these courses or contributed from other sources are also available for
incorporation into laboratory or lecture classes.
A unique feature of this facility is
the accessibility to the microscope by remote connectivity for real time sample analysis.
To achieve this, the remote user must download a free remote access software program
available through the internet (for details, prospective users must contact the Director
of the CSUPERB Confocal Core Facility, Dr. Janey Youngblom, at jyoungb@toto.csustan.edu). Once scheduling has
been arranged, remote users can either view samples they have prepared and sent to the
facility, or view samples that have been prepared by the facility staff. In either case,
the remote user is able to take control of most of the functions of the microscope and
image analysis, including filter selection, laser intensity, PMT values, pinhole size,
focus, zoom, slide position, number of sections and accumulations for serial scanning, and
quantitative analysis programs. Saved mage files from each session can be saved in a
folder on the desktop of the confocal computer, then downloaded directly to the
user’s computer by retrieving it from the "FILES" section of this website.
