Training Modules Offered
Training costs are calculated based on staff time plus time spend on the instrument of choice. Staff time is charged at $100/hour, instrument rates vary.
1. Negative Staining and Wet lab
Description: Offered for specific cases only, since it is often unnecessary for structural cryo-EM work.
Duration: 2 hours session with EM facility staff.
Occupancy: Maximum 2 person.
Supplies needed (available for purchase from the EM facility store): Grid box, continuous carbon 300 mesh grids, tweezers.
2. Safematic Carbon Coater
Description: Training on using the Safematic carbon coater, practical application, recipe creation.
Duration: 1 hour session from EM facility staff.
Occupancy: Maximum 2 person.
Supplies needed: Grids for coating, mica (provided by facility).
3. Vitrobot
Description: Training on using the Vitrobot, cryo sample preparation theory, setup, practical application, use of Solarus plasma cleaner/glow discharge.
Duration: 2 separate 2-hour sessions with EM facility staff member.
Occupancy: Maximum 2 person.
Supplies needed (available for purchase from the EM facility store): Autogrid box with lid, quantifoil grids, storage for cryo grids. Users must supply their own tweezers (tweezers can be provided during training). Recommended tweezers options: Ted Pella vitrobot tweezers or NanoSoft cryo tweezers.
4. Manual Plunge freezer
Description: Training on using the manual plunge freezer.
Duration: 2 hour session with EM facility staff.
Occupancy: Maximum 2 person.
Supplies needed (available for purchase from the EM facility store): Autogrid box with lid, filter paper (whatman #1), quantifoil grids, plunge freezer tweezers, storage for cryo grids.
5. Autogrid Clipping
Description: Training on clipping cryo-EM grids for Krios or Arctica samples.
Duration: 2 hour session, 1 hour demonstration from EM facility staff and 1 hour practice
Occupancy: Maximum 1 person.
Supplies needed (available for purchase from the EM facility store): Autogrid box with lid, cryo-EM grids, autogrid rings and c-clips, storage for cryo grids.
6. Sphera Electron Microscope - Training Temporarily Suspended
Description: Training and hands-on practical safe use of Sphera for screening negative stain grids. Theory, microscope hardware, loading samples, aligning the scope, imaging strategies, focusing, aberrations, troubleshooting. Standard known sample provided.
Duration: 2 separate 4 hour sessions with EM facility staff.
Occupancy: Maximum 1 person.
Supplies needed: none.
7. Arctica Electron Microscope
Description: Training and hands-on practical use of Arctica for screening cryo grids and setting up data collection. Theory, microscope hardware, aligning the scope, imaging strategies, focusing, aberrations, troubleshooting.
Duration: 2 separate 4 hour training sessions with EM facility staff. This will give the user a general idea on how to set up an automated data collection, however, will not be sufficient for independent usage.
Occupancy: Maximum 1-2 persons.
Supplies needed: Vitrified autogrids.
8. Krios Electron Microscope
Description: Training and hands-on practical safe use of Krios for screening cryo grids and setting up data collection. In most cases prior experience on the Arctica is mandatory.
Duration: 2 - 4 separate training sessions with EM facility staff.
Occupancy: Maximum 1-2 persons.
Supplies needed: Vitrified autogrids.
