Booking the Core Microscopes

To book or delete a session on the Core microscopes please follow the link below:

Microscope On-Line Booking System

Unless you get prior approval from the Core for exceptional circumstances, please do not book any microscope more than two weeks in advance. Bookings posted further ahead than that without approval will be removed. We must do this to prevent the system being overbooked and minimise problems with users not turning up for their session. 

For help with using the booking system download our booking guide. If you have a problem booking a microscope on-line drop us an email at cellular-imaging@well.ox.ac.uk and we can either advise you of a solution or book the microscope for you. 

The Olympus BX-51 microscope and FISH workstation is for the exclusive use of the Chromosome Dynamics and Cellular-Imaging Core staff, as part of their Core service provision.

 

Zeiss 510 MetaHead confocal microscope booking rules

  1. Please book no more than three 3 hour sessions per week during office hours (9.00 am to 5.00 pm weekdays). If you need to book for more than that (e.g. for live cell time-lapses), then discuss this with us before booking.  
  2. During daytime hours, if another user has booked on to the confocal within two hours of you finishing, leave the lasers and the mercury lamp ON for them. For an evening slot only leave the lasers/mercury lamp on if the user follows on directly from your slot (in case they subsequently cancel their booking).
  3. If someone has booked a LiveCell session after you, the stage incubator will be set to 37oC. Please leave the incubator ON and keep the incubator doors/top closed during scanning, as temperature variations will cause focus drift and affect your image quality.
  4. You can book up to two weeks in advance, so from Monday in the first week you may book any time in the following week. If you need confocal microscope time at short notice, ask the core and we will advise you when a slot has been cancelled.
  5. Please ensure that you arrive promptly within 15 minutes of your booked session slot.

 

Nikon inverted wide-field microscope booking rules

  1. Please do not book longer slots that you require. If you only need a few minutes to check some transfected cells just book a 15 minute slot.

  2. If you need to book a half day or full day slot during the day (e.g. for motorised stage scanning of entire tissue sections), then please discuss this with us before booking. Also consider running the raster scan overnight. The motorised XY stage and motorised Z focus are only fitted on as needed

  3. During daytime hours, if another user has booked the Nikon within two hours of you finishing, leave the mercury lamp ON for them. For an evening slot only leave the mercury lamp on if the user follows on directly from your slot (in case they subsequently cancel their booking).

  4. Note that the Nikon fluorescence mercury lamp is on a mechanical time-switch and the lamp will switch off at 12.00 am and switch back on at 7.00 am.

  5. You can book the Nikon up to two weeks in advance, so from Monday in the first week you may book any time in the following week.

  6. Many users only require a few minutes to check their cells. So if you have a long slot booked, please negotiate with other users a suitable time within your slot for the occasional user to quickly check their cells.

  7. Users may overrun their slot if they have been delayed by allowing the previous user time to finish off their work. Please be courteous allow users a short time to finish off and vacate the microscope for you.

  8. Please ensure that you arrive promptly within 5-10 minutes of your booked session slot.

 

Leica SP8-X SMD confocal microscope booking rules

  1. It's envisaged that users will be able to operate the microscope on their own from late November/early December 2013. Prior to that access and booking will be through members of the Cellular Imaging staff (email us all at: cellular-imaging@well.ox.ac.uk).

 

If you are unsure about anything, just ask a member of the core for advice.