Electron Microscopy BIL 554
Techniques in transmission electron microscopy including tissue preparation, use of the electron microscope, photography, and interpretation of micrographs
Instructor: Dr.Jeffrey Prince
Office: Cox 20
Phone:284-6208
Credits: 4
Meeting Time and Place:Tuesday, Thursday 1:40 to 5:15; Cox 20B.
| In Depth Course Description | Admission to the Course | Course/Laboratory Schedule |
In Depth Course Description:
Students will be trained to 1) start with a living organism or tissue, 2) fix (so cells appear in suspended animaton), 3) imbed in a hard resin (permits thin section), 4) section (with an ultramicrotome using glass knives), 5) examine the resulting thin sections (40nm thick) using the Philips 300 transmission electron microscope, 5) take pictures, 6) develope, 7) enlarage the resulting negatives, 8) print them (using the EM darkroom), and finally 9) labelthe organelles and cell structures visualized on the micrograph. Students are given individualized instruction on all the above aspects involved with electron microscopy, they master these techniques by practicing them either individualy or in a group, but the final product is generated by their own, individual effort and work. Operaton of the electron microscope, the ultramicrotomes and use of the darkrooms ultimately is done by each student. This course will help the student decide whether he/she would like to continue on in biological research since the student must set their own schedules for mastering the information (24 hr access to the laboratory and supporting facilities is provided), must accomplish much of this on their own or in concert with other members of the course, and must produce an accceptable product at several set times during the course. Over .. of the students who take this course continue on into professional schools; medical school or graduate school. See BIL 555 for a list of student projects in Electron Microscopy and the professional programs these students entered since graduation from the University of Miami--or CLICK HERE.
Ink gland of Aplysia californica, granulate cell showing elaboration of the plasma membrane into coated vesicles
Admission
Admission to the course is only through permission of the instructor. This involves filling out an application and having an interview with the instructor during the spring semester (generally in March) for the next fall semester's course offering. Eight students are selected from the applicant pool and three to four others are chosen as backups in case one of the eight is unable to schedule the course.
Course/Laboratory Schedule
| Date: | Week | Topic: |
| Aug 29 | 1 R | Introduction |
| Sept 2 | 2 T | Scope on; Large traps demo |
| 2 R | Check large traps; Knife making & thick section demo; Eye lash stick | |
| Sept 10 | 3 T | Check thick section; Review large trap & thick sect; Class scope on & do; Thin sect. demo. |
| 3 R | Class put on scope;Check small traps; Thin sect. demo. | |
| Sept.17 | 4 T | Thin section review; Object. lense stigm. |
| 4 R | Check thin sect. on grids; Staining demo; Scope in groups of 3 | |
| Sept 25 | 5 T | Review scope with 3's; Camera and film load & develop; Thick sect. sketch |
| 5 R | Review camera and scope; Check camera load | |
| Oct 1 | 6 T | TEST |
| Oct 8 | 7 | INTERVIEWS and required tissues |
| Oct 15 | 8 | Jobs; Required tissues |
| Oct 22 | 9 | Required tissues & open lab |
| Oct 29 | 10 | Dark room; Low mag(Tap2) negatives |
| Nov 5 | 11 | Low mag. prints ; INTERVIEWS |
| Nov 12 | 12 | High(Tap 12) and low mag prints |
| Nov 19 | 13 | INTERVIEWS; New tissue prep. |
| Nov 26 | 14 | Required tissues |
| Dec 3 | 15 | Required tissues |
| Dec 10 | 16 | Second set of micrographs |
Please note that this is a tenative syllabus. Laboratory assignments and notices will be posted on the top right side of the lab. blackboard. It is the students responsibility to check the board for any changes to the syllabus, announcements of new assignments and/or changes in dates that various assignments are due
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