Effective July 1, 2024, Dr. Luker joins the Microscopy Core leadership team along with Director Jennifer Peters, Ph.D.
Dr. Luker is a professor of radiology and biomedical engineering, and has served as the Associate Chair for Clinical Research. He will be with the Core part-time and maintain an appointment with the Department of Radiology.
He brings an abundance of leadership experience, which is needed to meaningfully transform the Microscopy Core’s impact as a vital resource for the research community. Dr. Luker has held numerous leadership positions at the University of Michigan, the Medical School, and at national and international levels.
With a deep understanding of the wide range of microscopy instruments used for research, Dr. Luker’s expertise ranges from time-lapse single cell, fluorescence imaging, multiphoton microscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, and light sheet imaging.
Knowing that imaging technologies overall, and microscopy in particular, are essential to research, Dr. Luker is very aware of how cutting-edge imaging technologies are critical to the success of research for many investigators at U-M. His goal in working with Dr. Peters and the faculty advisory committee is to add new instrumentation, technical expertise, services, and educational opportunities to increase the number of investigators integrating imaging and image analysis into their research.
He has vast experience in model systems for imaging such as 2D cultures, tissue engineered 3D systems, intact tissues, and living mice. Dr. Luker also has thorough knowledge and experience in leading and participating in successful NIH S10 grant applications.
Microscopy Core Expansion at the North Campus Research Complex Includes New Instrumentation
The Microscopy Core recently upgraded its lab space at the North Campus Research Complex (NCRC) making it suitable for handling BSL2 samples and adding a new superresolution spinning disk confocal microscope. The location now includes:
- A tissue culture room containing a sink, incubator, hood, refrigerator/freezer, and a biosafety cabinet
- Image analysis computers, including an Imaris workstation
- Nikon Yokogawa CSU-W1 SoRa spinning disk confocal microscope
- Nikon A1Si laser scanning confocal microscope
- Staff present approximately 20 hours per week
Please join them at their open house on Thursday, August 8, from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm to see all that has been done.
Electron Microscopy Interest Group Kicks Off with a Series of Three Seminars
The Microscopy Core is starting an Advanced Biological Electron Microscopy (EM) Methods Interest Group. The core hopes to give U-M scientists with diverse research interests the opportunity to interact and learn from one another, as well as allow the core to gauge interest and gather information that will contribute to future core services. Topics for the first three seminars, which will be offered on Wednesdays in July include:
- Electron microscopy and correlative light and electron microscopy
- Volume electron microscopy
- Sample preparation for electron microscopy