Quantitative Fluorescence Microscopy 2026

Application Information

By clicking on the “Apply now” button you will initiate an application to this course, and will have multiple electronic forms to fill. You must submit each required form to have a complete application. You will receive periodic email reminders until you all forms have been submitted.

• We will review applications that were on the wait list for the 2025 course in late fall for the 2026 course.
• New applications for the 2026 course will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning in early January. Student acceptances will be sent to successful applicants until the course is full.
• After this time, additional completed applications will be moved to a wait list. If accepted students withdraw from the course, we will fill empty course spots from the wait list.

Should you at any time decide not to pursue enrollment, please reply to any reminder email, and let us know so we can stop the reminders and withdraw your application.

Overview

This one-week intensive microscopy course will cover all aspects of the technology from the principles of fluorescence imaging to multidimensional imaging in living cells. Lectures dealing with the theory, mechanics, and application of fluorescent imaging methods will be intermingled with extended laboratory practicals in which students will be encouraged to use their own specimens to optimize the utility of the course.

A signature component of this course is the availability of microscopy equipment and teaching representatives from leading manufacturers.

Our goal is to provide students with the knowledge and expertise to implement cutting-edge microscopic methods within their own laboratories.

This is a popular course which fills quickly, do not delay in submitting an application!

Course Director

Course Faculty

Housing

Double occupancy rooms and shared bathrooms are provided. Single occupancy rooms may become available upon request and under certain circumstances, please contact our Director of Campus Services (bharris@mdibl.org).

Tuition

 $3,500 USD

The tuition includes all meals and housing.
Partial financial aid is available for individuals who can demonstrate financial need.

Schedule

QFM 2026 SCHEDULE

• All lectures will be held in the 2nd-floor lecture theatre in the Maine Center for Biomedical Innovation (MCBI)
• Laboratory groups and locations will be provided on the handouts.

FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2026
5:00 PM                     Arrival on campus, check-in to housing, get keys at Dining Hall
Late arrival keys will be placed in the Dining Hall keybox for pick-up
6:00 PM                  Dinner at Dining Hall
7:00-9:00 PM           Reception: MCBI second floor lecture theatre

 SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2026
9:00 – 9:30 AM          Introductions (Watkins)
9:30-11:00 AM         The Microscope: History and transmitted light imaging (Watkins)
11:00-11:15 AM      Break
11:15-12:00 AM       The Microscope: Principles and Optical Choices for Fluorescence (Watkins)
12:00-1:00 PM         Lunch
1:00 – 3:00 PM          LAB 1: TRANSMITTED LIGHT MICROSCOPY
3:00 – 4:00 PM       Fundamentals of Digital Images (Chew)
4:00 – 5:00 PM        Probes: Stains, Sensors and Reporters (St. Croix)
5:00 – 5:45 PM        Probes: Green-Fluorescent Protein et al. (Kremers)
6:00 – 7:00 PM        Dinner
7:00 – 8:00 PM        Digital Imaging: Optical Filters and Brightness Demonstration (Watkins)
8:00 – 11:00 PM      LAB 2: STANDARD FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2026
9:00 – 10:45 AM     Image Processing 1: Fundamentals of Imaging Processing (Chew)
10:45 – 11:00 AM    Break
11:00 – 12:00 AM    Optical Sectioning: Introduction to the Confocal Microscope (St Croix)
12:00 – 1:00 PM      Lunch
1:00 – 3:30 PM        Image Processing 2: Fourier Transformation in Image Processing (Chew)
Image Processing 3: Object Segmentation (Chew)
3:30 – 3:45 PM      Break
3:45 – 4:30 PM         Multispectral Imaging (Quarles)
4:30 – 6:00 PM         LAB 3: A) MULTICOLOR 3-D IMAGING, B) 3D IMAGING AND DECONVOLUTION, C)  FOURIER SPACE (Quarles)
6:00 – 7:00 PM       Dinner
7:00 – 10:00              LAB 3 (continued): A) MULTICOLOR 3-D IMAGING, B) 3D IMAGING AND DECONVOLUTION, C)  FOURIER SPACE (Quarles)

MONDAY, MAY 18, 2026
Please tell the kitchen staff if you are not going to eat dinner in the dining hall tonight. Microscopes will not be available.

9:00 – 10:00 AM       FRET/FLIM (Kremers)
10:00 -10:15 AM    Break
10:15 -11:15 AM      TIRF (Watkins)
11:15 -12:00 PM      Optical Sectioning:  Multi-Photon Microscopy (St Croix)
12:00 – 1:00 PM     Lunch
1:00 – 4:00 PM          LAB 4: REFRACTIVE INDEX MISMATCH
4:00 – 5:30 PM         Tips & Tricks: Practical Aspects: Labeling, Antibodies, etc. (Watkins)

EVENING OFF

TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2026
9:00 – 10:00 AM       Image Analysis 1: Object-based colocalization analysis (Chew)
10:00 – 12:00 PM Image Analysis 2: Analyses of Image Intensity and pixel-based colocalization studies (Chew)
12:00 -1:00 PM        Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 PM         Machine learning in Image Processing (Chew)
2:00 – 3:00 PM         Computer vision in denoising (Chew)
3:00 – 3:15 PM        Break
3:15– 4:15 PM          Super-Resolution (Watkins)
4:15 – 5:30 PM         Tips & Tricks: Live Cell Imaging (St. Croix/Watkins)
6:00 – 7:00 PM        Dinner
7:00 – 10:00 PM       LAB 5: SUPER-RESOLUTION & FLIM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2026
9:00 – 9:45 AM         Tissue Clearing and Expansion Microscopy (Quarles)
9:45 – 10:45 AM       Light Sheet Imaging (Watkins)
10:45 – 11:00 AM    Break
11:00 – 12:00 PM    Imaging Big Things in 2D and 3D (Watkins)
12:00 – 1:00 PM       Lunch & Course Photo (weather dependent)
1:00- 2:00 PM           FRAP, Photoactivation, Optogenetics (Kremers)
2:00 – 6:00 PM          LAB 6: TIRF/FRAP/Photoconversion
6:00 – 7:00 PM        Dinner
7:00 – 10:00 PM       LAB 7: MULTI-DIMENSIONAL TIME LAPSE IMAGING

THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2026
9:00 – 11:00 AM       Image Analysis 4: Analysis of Changes in Images; Object/Particle Tracking (Chew)
11:00 – 12:00 PM     Panel Discussion: Careers in Microscopy (Faculty)
12:00 – 1:00 PM      Lunch
1:00 – 4:00 PM         LAB 8: A) LIGHT SHEET IMAGING and B) 3D Image Processing
5:00 –  Dusk            Lobster bake, Lab Beach Area, weather dependent

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2026
self-serve breakfast

Move out of housing units no later than 9:00am.

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