Nikon Imaging Center User Guide

Nikon Imaging Center User Manual

CONTACT:

Website: nic.ucsf.edu

Calendar: nic.ucsf.edu/calendar

Kurt Thorn, PhD
[e-mail]
phone: [phone]
fax: [phone]

Alice Thwin
[e-mail]
phone: [phone]
fax: [phone]

University of California, San Francisco MC 2140
Genentech Hall Room S252
600 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94158-2517

I. NIC POLICIES

Access

Use of equipment in the NIC@QB3 for research purposes is available to members of
laboratories of UCSF and QB3. There is no charge for training and a reduced rate for use of the
microscopes for internal UCSF Academic and external Academics. Users must be trained by the
director of the NIC, Kurt Thorn, or the NIC Manager, Alice Thwin before using the microscopes.
To arrange training, please fill out the training request form online on the nic.ucsf.edu website.
Untrained users may not use the NIC microscopes at any time. Users assume responsibility for
damaged equipment during their usage time.

The NIC@QB3 facilities may be used, for a fee, by non-academics. Such use requires execution
of an agreement with UCSF. Please contact Kurt Thorn or Alice Thwin for more information.

Trained users may schedule time on the microscopes using the NIC@QB3 calendar
(nic.ucsf.edu/calendar).

The NIC is available for use 24 hours a day, however the doors to the NIC are only unlocked
8am-6pm, Monday-Friday. To get access to the NIC outside of these hours, you will need to
have your ID card added to the proxy card system on the main entrance to the NIC. This can be
done by emailing Kurt.

Scheduling

1. No user may sign up for microscope time more than 21 days in advance.

2. No user may sign up for more than 6 hours a week on the spectral or C1si confocal, 8 hours a
week on the spinning disk confocal, or 12 hours a week on other scopes, during the period from
8am – 8pm, Monday to Friday.

3. No user may sign up for more than 12 hours on the nights or weekend.

4. Users may sign up for any open time in the next 24 hours without counting against their
allotted 12 hours a week. (i.e., if Monday at 5pm you see that the scope isn’t being used
Tuesday morning you can sign up for it even if you’ve already booked that scope for 12 hours
on Friday).

5. If for some reason you need more time than possible under this system (i.e. you need to do a
2 day timelapse), please let us know. We are perfectly happy to make exceptions for good
reasons.

6. If you do not show up within half an hour for your scheduled time, the rest of your scheduled
time will be relinquished.

7. There are three listservs we offer: NIKONCANCEL (for all cancelations of microscope
scheduled time) NICANNOUNCE (for announcements by NIC Personnel) and MICROSCOPY (a
general discussion of all things microscopy)

Damage to microscopes

Users are liable for damage caused to microscopes in the NIC due to accident or carelessness.
Please be careful and report any problems with the microscopes to Kurt or Alice immediately.

Use of RG2 (BSL2) Samples or Organisms

Any user who wishes to use human cell lines, human tissues or blood, or risk group 2 (BSL2)
pathogens, must file a BUA with EH&S prior to imaging these samples in the NIC. If you already
have a BUA on file with EH&S for working with these samples in your lab (you should!), all that
you need to do is to file a modification to that BUA adding the NIC (Genentech Hall Rm. S252)
to the list of authorized locations. Approval of the modification should take a day or two. The
modification form can be found at http://www.research.ucsf.edu/forms/form3101.pdf. The
NIC has a tissue culture hood and a tissue culture incubator for handling and short term storage
of samples in the NIC.

Acknowledgements

It is important that any papers incorporating data acquired or analyzed in the Nikon Imaging
Center acknowledge the use of the NIC. This helps us justify our existence to the companies
that provide equipment to the NIC, and will also help us justify the importance of the center to
granting agencies when we apply for grants in the future. Please include an acknowledgement
statement like: “Data for this study were acquired at the Nikon Imaging Center at UCSF/QB3”.

Occasionally, involvement by the NIC staff may rise to a level where it merits co-authorship on
the resulting paper. Ordinary training and assistance with the microscope does not merit co-