Testimonies

17 September 2020

The Nikon Imaging Center was an extremely helpful resource for my research. I went in with very little experience in microscopy, and their team was able to help guide me through the whole process. The range of help I was provided with was extensive, and I was able to learn a lot in the process. They helped me develop a protocol that worked immediately, and provided insight related to which antibodies to purchase. Further, I was taught how to both capture the images and process them into high-quality figures.

Robert Mills, Gonzalez Lab

03 March 2020

The Nikon Imaging Center is a great facility. Equipment is excellent, well-maintained and easy to book on the on-line system. The OMERO server for data management is incredibly helpful. Eric and Daphne are very helpful and accessible.

Richard Mccosh, Breen Church Lab

03 March 2020

The Nikon Imaging Center at the UCSD is great place to perform your fluorescence microscopy analysis. Not only they are fully equipped with numbers of state-of-the-art light microscopes, but they also provide individual training for both expert and non-expert users and share their vast expertise for sample preparation, methodologies and even image analysis pipelines. I highly recommend this center to the researchers inside and outside of UCSD!!! Thank you very much, Eric, Daphne, and Hiro for all your help and discussion throughout my project.

Reika Watanabe Castillon, Villa Lab

04 March 2020

HUGE thanks to both Eric and Daphne for training me to use the NIC microscopy. We had some very challenging technique issues to design our experiments, but you helped us to solve the problems. Also I am so impressed by the terrific system, user friendly and so easy to use. Most of all you are such fantastic staff and professional experts, and giving us lots of great ideas and comments for not only experimental design but also data analysis.

I highly recommend our colleagues to use.

Xia Li, Peter Novick Lab

07 March 2020

I’m a postdoc currently using TIRF/STORM at Nikon Imaging Center. I’m so glad that there is a cutting-edge microscope facility like this in campus which I have been looking for so long. My exciting data got in few months seem to have the potential to transform my project. Thanks a lot for the training and guidance from Eric and Daphne who have been a great help on my experiment! They’re so knowledgeable and consistently improving the facility. I am very excited to continue to work and collect data in this pleasant and productive facility.

Yunlong Zhao, Hui Lab

10 March 2020

The Nikon Imaging Center at UCSD has been extremely helpful in my research. The staff at NIC is very knowledgeable and always willing to help. Eric and Daphne have helped me in multiple ways, including microscope set up, data analysis, and troubleshooting my experiments. In fact, I now consult with Eric before any new experimental design to ensure that I use the best possible fluorophores and my experimental design is suitable for robust and accurate data analysis. With Eric’s help I was recently able to generate high quality data and a pipeline to analyze these data that was included in my latest publication. I am very excited to continue using the Nikon Imaging Center at UCSD.

Agnieszka Kendrick, Reck-Peterson Lab

10 March 2020

The NIC at UCSD is a great resource on campus for imaging and microscopy. Eric Griffis and Daphne Bindels were very helpful in identifying the type of microscopy I needed.  Daphne provided great training on the Ti2 Widefield microscope. With her support, I was able to take great immunofluorescence images that were a crucial part of my publication.

Lianne Cohen, Wasserman Lab

10 March 2020

I work with flies to understand the neural circuit relevant for sleep homeostasis. I use the center to image fly brains to learn about the structural anatomy and as well as, through ex-vivo calcium imaging, the functional connections among the neurons in the circuit. I have been using their system for almost a year and never had I any problem dealing with their system and/or people at the center. This system has significantly improved the quality of the images compared to the basic confocal set up that I had used before. I was always helped (and mentored in the beginning) by the staffs. Very welcoming people and enjoyable working (and learning) experience.   

Joydeep De, Joiner Lab

11 March 2020

I had the pleasure to work with Daphne and Eric from the Nikon core at UCSD for over a year. Both provided tremendous support for my research and were absolutely essential for the success of my project. What was most important to me and what set this core apart from others I worked with in the past is that Daphne and Eric have a substantial amount of knowledge in the microscopy area and data analysis, which allowed them to connect to my project and make suggestions that elevated my research and data collection. I have been presenting my data at international conferences and received outstanding comments on the images and videos that were collected. We are currently preparing our manuscript to be submitted to Nature and I am honestly feeling that it would not have been possible without the support of the Nikon Imaging facility at UCSD.

Heike Kroeger, Lin Lab

11 March 2020

Using a different confocal set-up, our lab was struggling to image early embryo samples, with the goal of generating 3D z-stack projections. The size of these embryos made it difficult to image all the way through without bleaching, and the system we were using previously would take hours to generate enough z-stacks to acquire enough images to digitally reconstruct a 3D projection. Working with the Nikon core allowed us to overcome all of these barriers. Eric and Daphne have been critical for the progression of two separate projects that I was stalled on and unable to progress with our previous confocal set-up. Not only did they immediately have solutions, allowing me to overcome these barriers, but provided training and personalized assistance with these projects. Eric and Hiro have even helped to optimize a customized cell counting routine, instrumental in the resubmission of a manuscript, and the submission of another.

Jennifer Dumdie, Cook-Andersen Lab