Microscopy Imaging Center

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The Microscopy Imaging Center MIC disseminates expert knowledge and provides technical support in high-end microscopy. It implements new technologies, administers the MIC instrument portfolio, and ensures central access to equipment. It teaches at Master's and PhD levels and offers training for scientific staff at all levels.

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Profile

  • Instruments, users and usage hours: 84 instruments are registered at the MIC. In 2023, this equipment was used by 468 researchers in a total of 97,200 usage hours.
  • Instrument types: 34 standard wide-field microscopes, 3 stereo microscopes, 3 slide scanners, 14 laser scanning microscopes, 5 two-photon microscopes, 6 spinning disc microscopes, 4 stereo microscopes, 5 transmission electron microscopes, 5 scanning electron microscopes, 2 light sheet microscopes, 2 atomic force microscopy systems, 1 mass cytometer, 1 imaging mass cytometer and 3 micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) instruments.
  • Services: web-based booking system for microscopes (openiris.io); imaging and image and data analysis; handling of large data sets; sample preparation; training; publication of news, courses, events, and other activities on the MIC webpage (www.mic.unibe.ch)
  • Teaching and events: Lecture series on advanced microscopy. MIC workshops, MIC trainings, instrument demonstrations, MIC Research Day, MIC Symposium.
  • PhD program Cutting Edge Microscopy (CEM). The main aim of the CEM program is to provide an interdisciplinary training program for PhD students to become first-class experts in biological imaging. The unique and interdisciplinary framework established by the MIC provides the necessary infrastructure and expert knowledge. The program is scientifically directed by MIC members Benoît Zuber and Steven Proulx and administered by the MIC coordinator Ruth Lyck. An annual average of 20 students are enrolled in this PhD specialization program. In 2023, 6 students received their degree certificate, and 7 were newly enrolled.
  • Close collaboration with the Data Science Laboratory (DSL) of the University of Bern. In 2023, Guillaume Witz, the former bioimage analyst of the MIC, moved to DSL. DSL now offers free services to MIC users based on a service-level agreement with the MIC.
  • Excellent cooperation with the Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB) and individual master's programs to optimize the MIC teaching portfolio.

External Partners

Swiss Society for Optics and Microscopy (SSOM); Life Sciences Switzerland (LS2), Intersection Microscopy; Scientific Volume Imaging b.v. (SVI); Swiss Microscopy and Imaging Core Facility Network