MCDB Home > Research > Research Facilities > Microscopy Facility

About the Facility

The Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute operate an Integrated Microscopy Facility. Brian Matsumoto is the director of the facility and provides instruction and training on advanced light microscopy, digital imaging, laser scanning confocal microscopy, electron microscopy, and the preparatory technique for these imaging paradigms.

The Facility has the Following Equipment for Imaging

Basic Light Microscopy

• Two upright microscopes equipped for high-resolution fluorescence and digital recording of the images (Olympus BX 51, BX60 with MacroFire camera).
• One upright microscope equipped with oil immersion darkfield darkfield condenser and low light digital imaging camera (BX 51 with Qimaging camera).
• One Stereo microscope with photoports for imaging specimens in three-dimensions (Olympus SZXZ with MicroFire camera).
• One inverted microscope equipped with long working distance phase objectives and epifluorescent illuminator. This microscope is used for looking at cultured samples Petri dishes or multi-well plates.

Confocal Microscopy

There are two confocal microscopes, a point-scanning laser based system for the highest vertical and lateral resolution (Olympus Fluoview 500) and a spinning disc confocal microscope (Olympus DSU) for live cell recordings.

Electron Microscopy

The facility has a JEOL 123 transmission electron microscope for imaging specimens that require resolving structures that are separated by only a nanometer.

There are dedicated digital cameras for the light microscopes and electron microscope.

Training and Education

The microscopy facility runs a national level imaging course for live and fixed cell imaging, twice a year. Additionally, the facility sponsors a graduate course in advanced techniques in digital imaging.

Contact Information

To inquire about using any of the advanced microscopy tools, or if you would like additional information regarding the Microscopy Facility, please contact Brian Matsumoto using contact information below.

Contact: Brian Matsumoto
Phone: (805) 893-8702
Fax: (805) 893-4724
E-Mail: matsumot@lifesci.ucsb.edu
Location: Building 539, Room 103