User Information

 

 


Training & Guidelines

New Users:

  • Prior to training, the user must complete the PIC Access Form and briefly discuss the project with the PIC staff.
  • New users will get an introduction to the equipment and the rules related to it.
  • All users will be trained before access to the equipment is allowed.
  • Follow up after training is given as long as users need it.
  • After training, users get their own usernames and passwords for online scheduling of the instruments.

Returning Users:

  • Users are required to notify the PIC staff when changing to a new lab.
  • After an absence of 6 months or longer, please contact the staff before using the equipment again.

Reserving time on PIC microscopes:

  • Booking of the equipment before use is compulsory.
  • Do not reserve the equipment more than 2 weeks in advance.
  • Do not reserve the equipment for more than 4 hours a day. Time-lapse experiments exceeding 4 hours should be notified in advance and, if possible, scheduled after 6pm or during the weekend.
  • Please cancel no later than 12 hours before planned use of instrument. If you cancel closer than 12 hours to your appointment, please email the users before and after you to let them know the machine is available for booking extra time.
  • While booked, you are responsible for the equipment, even if you do not use it.

General rules on the microscopes:

  • If you are not sure how to operate the equipment , ask the PIC staff.
  • Remember to fill in the logbook: date, name, time, etc.
  • Notify staff of any failure of the system.

After finishing, check the online schedule:

  • If someone is booked after you, make sure the person arrives before you leave. If not, notify PIC staff.
  • If you are the last user of the day, switch off the system following the guidelines of the equipment.

 

Data acquisition and processing:

The microscopes are primarily for image acquisition. Images should be processed and analysed in your own lab whenever possible.

Temporary data storage on the PIC computers is permissible, but you yourself are responsible for safe backups of your data. After you have not been actively using PIC for 6 months, your data will be deleted without notification.

Publishing results obtained in the PIC:

To ensure our existence we need to show that scientists are using the PIC and that its services are reflected in publications. In order to make this visible, we ask you you to mention the PIC in the acknowledgements when you use data acquired at the PIC in your publications.

Please use this sentence :
"The confocal imaging / electron microscopy was performed at the Plant Imaging Center, Department of Botany, UW-Madison."

In addition we would very much appreciate if you notified the PIC when your paper is accepted for publication, so that we can register it in our achive.