Microscopy and Imaging Facility

Daniel Kim/© AMNH
The Microscopy and Imaging Facility (MIF) is an interdepartmental lab that aids the research of the Museum's scientific community.

The mission of the Microscopy and Imaging Facility (MIF) is to provide an interdepartmental facility that contains state-of-the-art imaging instruments and image analysis software that would otherwise be too expensive for individual departments to purchase and maintain. The MIF staff is trained to provide expert assistance in the use of all the equipment found in the lab.

MIF currently houses two scanning electron microscopes (SEM), each equipped with x-ray microanalysis detectors, as well as a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), an x-ray microscope (XRM) and a micro x-ray computed tomography scanner (CT Scanner). 

MIF also contains instruments for sample prep, a computer and printing lab which consists of PC workstations capable of image processing and 3-D reconstruction. The lab houses several graphic output devices, including high-quality laser jet printers and a large-format poster printer. MIF staff is trained to assist in the use of all imaging software and graphic output devices.

NoCTURN

MIF is a member lab of the Non-Clinical Tomography Users Research Network (NoCTURN), whose focus is to improve the findability, accessibility, interoperability, reuse, and open science nature of tomography data. 

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Two teleogramma scans of cf. brichardi. © Melanie Stiassny