Dear FILM users, First of all, we would like to wish you a very happy new year, may 2015 bring lots of beautiful images and interesting results! :) In this email, we would like to update you on what has been and is going on at FILM. First news - New Facility Manager!! It is with great pleasure that I can announce the appointment of Debbi Keller as the new manager of FILM, starting February 2015. Since Martin left we have been trying hard to find a suitable "replacement" - at one level, impossible of course, but it gradually became clear that Debbi would be an outstanding person to fill this role. Those of you who have got to know Debbi in the year she's been with FILM will realise what a great personality and skill set she has to be a super FILM manager. I'm sure you will give her all the support she needs as she grows into this role. I and the rest of the FILM management team (Cristina Lo Celso, Sian Harding and Jake Baum) really look forward to working with Debbi as we take FILM to the next stage in its development. Debbi will continue to be superbly supported by Steve Rothery and we are in the process of recruiting a new staff member funded by the recent successful Wellcome Trust award (of which more below). Finally from me, a word about charges for 2015. Thanks to reduced costs and the high usage of the microscopes, the charges for all microscopes (including MP laser) will be reduced overall! The exact FEC calculations (for grant applications) will be published in February, and the actual charges will soon be on the website. This shows that we do pass on savings to our users and emphasises what I have said before - that, because we have fixed costs, the more you all use the systems the cheaper they become on an hourly basis! Tony Magee, Academic Lead of FILM Second news - new equipment! As some of you might know, FILM's application for a Wellcome Trust equipment grant (spearheaded by Martin - thanks!!) has been successful! This grant will allow us, amongst other things, to upgrade the intravital microscope (new detectors and multiphoton laser) as well as purchase a platform for high-content imaging. * We have purchased a new Spectraphysics eHP Mai Tai DeepSee laser which has arrived (sitting at the end of the microscope table) and will be connected to the CF3 microscope. This laser has dispersion compensation and is a bit more powerful. We will of course train you to use the new laser as soon as it is installed. * The old Mai Tai multiphoton will be upgraded with a DeepSee module (for dispersion pre-compensation as well), and will be connected to the CF4. The installation of both lasers will be completed in the following weeks, and we will do our best to minimise disruption to users in that time. However, this means that both CF3 and CF4 will be connected to a multiphoton laser, so you can use the multiphoton in parallel (and do not need to check whether or not it is already used). We are looking forward to more FLIM/FRET and more intravital imaging! * The CF3 will also have upgraded HyD and NDD detectors but we are still finalizing this with Leica - we will keep you informed in due time. * As for the high-content imaging, we will shortly be demoing several systems to assess their suitability and performance. If you intend on doing high content imaging (screening, multi-well plate imaging, etc...), we would like to ask you to provide test samples or come along to demo the different systems. An email will follow shortly, but the more samples we have, the better we can assess the needs vs available options and get the best system for you! So please, come talk to us or send us an email if you are interested. * Finally, a new CMOS Flash4 camera (Hammamatsu) has been fitted on the WF1. This camera is super-sensitive and can be used for ultra-fast imaging and can detect very low signals (e.g. Calcium waves). It is Steve's current favourite toy so come and talk to us if you want to use it. We are looking forward to some great imaging and exciting science in 2015! Best wishes, Debbi Debora Keller, PhD FILM - Facility for Imaging by Light Microscopy - Facility Manager - Super-Resolution Specialist - Sir Alexander Fleming Building, desk 408 Imperial College London / South Kensington Exhibition Road London SW7 2AZ, UK Phone: +44 (0)207 594 2023 Mobile: + 44(0) 7760 256 889 E-mail: d.keller@imperial.ac.uk<mailto:d.keller@imperial.ac.uk> Website: http://imperial.ac.uk/imagingfacility