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The First Week
Computational Section
The computational block provides a comprehensive two-day tutorial developed by Mike Springer and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School and is centered around Matlab. The tutorial is geared for students of varying backgrounds in computer programming. One section is a basic introduction geared for people who have never used Matlab (or any other programming language). This section will teach the basic Matlab environment and language, and then the basics of image processing and modeling. There will also be a beginning and advanced section on image processing and on modeling, analytical, and graphical methods for dissecting biological systems.
Microscopy Section
The goal of the microscopy section is to provide all students with sufficient background knowledge on the principles of light microscopy and to make everyone comfortable operating the microscopy equipment present during the course, such that the microscopes can be utilized to the fullest extent possible. A few morning lectures will cover topics including image formation in the light microscope, the principles of fluorescence microscopy, digital imaging, sectioning, and practical advice on which technique best fits what biological problems. These lectures were given by Ted Salmon (UNC, Chapel Hill), Shinya Inoue (MBL), Jennifer Waters (Harvard, Boston), and Nico Stuurman (UCSF, San Francisco). Practical instructions in the use of the microscopes (provided by Zeiss and Nikon) as well as the software (Metamorph and Micromanager) were given by representative of the vendors or open source software developer (Nenad Amodaj). Students then familiarized themselves with the microscopes and sample preparation techniques while following sea urchin fertilization using differential interference contrast (DIC) micrscopy, time-lapsing GFP-fusion proteins in live tissue culture cells, and collecting images of beads that were used to check out the microscope’s performance and for deconvolution.
Biochemistry Section
In the two day biochemistry section, we performed several protein purifications- tubulin from clam eggs, kinesin from squid optic lobes (basically squid brains), and two different types of kinesins purified from E. coli. Some of these preparations also expose students to use of sea creatures for biological research, which is obviously a unique aspect of the Marine Biological Laboratory. Students start off by going to the docks or the Marine Resource Center to collect these animals and obtain tissue/eggs (watch out for the squid ink!). The first day is devoted to the protein preparation and the second day is devoted to analysis (running SDS-PAGE gels and doing FPLC column chromatography). The culmination is doing a motility assay- attaching the purified squid kinesin and adding fluorescently labeled clam tubulin and watching the labeled microtubules move across the surface by fluorescence microscopy. Short lectures will be interspersed during the days to discuss buffers, chromatography, and special techniques for handling proteins.
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