Frequently Asked Questions

Please let us know if you have additional questions

Who should we contact to discuss Scanning or Transmission Electron Microscopy projects?

Please reach out to emcore@emory.edu to initiate discussions regarding your SEM or TEM projects.

Does the IEMC accept projects involving only sample preparation and not imaging?

Yes, in some cases, IEMC users can submit their samples to only do initial preparation procedures such as negative staining, fixation and embedding or plunge freezing for cryo-EM. At the IEMC, we can also prepare thin, semi-thin and thick sections for microscopy, including room temperature and cryo applications.

Can anybody be trained to use the equipment at the IEMC?

Yes, most IEMC equipment can be utilized by fully trained IEMC users. This includes all screening TEMs (Talos 120C, Hitachi HT7700 and JEOL JEM1400), SEMs, high pressure freezing and freeze substitution instruments, glow discharging devices for grid preparation, and cryo-EM grid preparation instruments. Room temperature and cryo-ultramicrotomes, and higher end TEMs (Talos Arctica and JEOL JEM2200FS) are mostly operated by IEMC staff, but interested users can be trained, and become independent, in their operation.

I am new to cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Which are some good resources to get familiarized with electron microscopy and cryo-EM?

There are very helpful cryo-EM courses available online. Grant Jensen's 'Getting started in cryo-EM' and Eva Nogales 'Introduction to electron microscopy'are good places to start. There are also a number of workshops and courses available through the National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy (NRAMM). CryoEM 101 is also a fantastic resource hosted by the University of Utah and supported in part by the NIH Common Fund CryoEM Initiative.

https://cryo-em-course.caltech.edu/

https://www.ibiology.org/techniques/transmission-electron-microscopy/

https://nramm.nysbc.org/workshops-and-courses/

https://cryoem101.org/

The NIH-supported cryo-EM centers website https://www.cryoemcenters.org/ contains helpful links to learning activities and access to national facilities for cryo-EM and cryo-ET projects, as well as curriculum development programs.