Stereology Courses


Practical Workshop in Confocal Microscopy and Stereology

Organized by Dr. Daniel Peterson
March 19-23, 2012
Chicago, Illinois, USA

Short Description
The purpose of this intensive, week-long workshop is to provide a comprehensive background in the theory and practice of modern histological preparation and microscopic analysis for researchers in biomedical science. The workshop provides a practical tutorial in all aspects of microscopic analysis including experimental design, specimen preparation, use of fluorescence and confocal microscopes, design-based stereology, and image preparation for scientific publication. A variety of microscopes equipped for stereology are available for use. Participants should bring examples of their material and problems for discussion. In addition to lectures, substantial time is devoted to “hands-on” practical sessions. Attendees participate in group discussion, where they can discuss their research applications and consult with the instructors.

Who Should Attend

- Graduate students who need to use modern microscopy or stereology in their projects

- Postdoctoral fellows who would benefit from a comprehensive introduction to microscopy and stereology

- Young investigators who need to incorporate these analytical approaches into their labs

- Investigators new to histological analysis who need a rapid and complete introduction to these techniques

Lecturer
Daniel A. Peterson, Ph.D. has been conducting international courses in microscopy and stereology since 1996. Dan is an NIH-funded investigator in neural repair and stem cell biology who maintains an active lab. He is on the editorial board of Neurobiology of Aging, Frontiers in Neuroscience and Stem Cells and Development among other journals in the field of regenerative medicine and is a frequent ad-hoc reviewer for a number of neuroscience, stem cell, and clinical journals. Dan served as Chairman of an NIH study section (Neurogenesis and Cell Fate) and is Executive Director of the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine.

Space is limited to the first 30 registrants for each session. Two graduate student scholarships are available. For more information, to download the course program, or to register, please visit: www.neurorenew.com

Please note that MBF Bioscience only recommends courses and workshops taught by capable and qualified instructors, and it does not promote any course or workshop taught by commercially-affiliated instructors.

NeuroStereology Workshop – An Introduction to Stereology for Neuroscientists

Organized by Dr. Mark West
March 24-29, 2012
Woods Hole, MA. USA

Short Description

The goal of the workshop is to teach a small group of research scientists how to design, supervise, and critically evaluate stereological studies of the nervous system. Stereology is a methodology that provides meaningful quantitative descriptions of the geometry of three-dimensional structures from measurements that are made on two-dimensional images sampled from a structure of interest. The workshop will emphasize modern ”design based” stereology, which is characterized by the preparation and probing of tissue in such a manner that no assumptions about the size, shape, and orientation of the structures being quantified are necessary.

The target audience includes neuroscience research scientists working at the graduate student, post-doctoral, and senior scientists who are interested in the practical application of design based stereological methods. The number of participants will be limited to 30, to ensure robust faculty-student interaction.

Organizer: Mark West
Professor of Medical Neurobiology, author of the most cited scientific papers on the application of modern stereological methods to the nervous system.


Stereology and Morphometry in Neurosciences

Please click here to download a pdf with additional course information including registration fee and course program.

Organized by Dr. Wilma D.J. van de Berg and Prof. Dr. Harry B.M Uylings
Dept. of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Neuroscience Campus
Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center,
Amsterdam, the Netherlands

March 19 – 23, 2012
Location: Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center

Short Description

In the Stereology and Morphometry course, the principles of stereology in neuroscience research are introduced and the application of stereological methods and morphometric analysis is trained to be able to effectively and efficiently obtain rigorous quantitative data of objects in three-dimensions.

The Stereology and Morphometry course covers the following topics:

1) The measurement of volumes, surface (area), lengths, and number in 3-dimensional space using ‘2’-dimensional images.
2) The measurement of these structural parameters in homogenous and non-homogeneous tissues.
3) The design of efficient, unbiased sampling strategies, i.e., “design based” stereology
4) Histological pitfalls in quantitative studies
5) Confocal microscopy and stereology
6) Morphometry
7) Statistics and stereology

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in Europe, who are interested in learning the principles of stereology and morphometric analysis in neurosciences, are invited to apply for the course. Students are expected to have a basic background in neuroanatomy and histology. A maximum of 16 students will be accepted.

The applicant’s motivation letter and scientific background and experience will be used as selection criteria.

Please click here to download a pdf with additional course information including registration fee and course program.
Please send your motivation letter (max. 300 words) and short biosketch (1A4) to m.lam@vumc.nl (secretary Anatomy and Neurosciences, VU University Medical Center; tel. +31-20-4448040) for registration. Deadline: 1 March 2012.



NeuroStereology Workshop – An Introduction to Stereology for Neuroscientists
Organized by Dr. Mark West
July 12-13, 2012 (Immediately preceding the FENS meeting)
Barcelona, Spain

Short Description

The goal of the workshop is to teach a small group of research scientists how to design, supervise, and critically evaluate stereological studies of the nervous system. Stereology is a methodology that provides meaningful quantitative descriptions of the geometry of three-dimensional structures from measurements that are made on two-dimensional images sampled from a structure of interest. The workshop will emphasize modern ”design based” stereology, which is characterized by the preparation and probing of tissue in such a manner that no assumptions about the size, shape, and orientation of the structures being quantified are necessary.

The target audience includes neuroscience research scientists working at the graduate student, post-doctoral, and senior scientists who are interested in the practical application of design based stereological methods. The number of participants will be limited to 30, to ensure robust faculty-student interaction.

Organizer: Mark West
Professor of Medical Neurobiology, author of the most cited scientific papers on the application of modern stereological methods to the nervous system.

*Please note that MBF Bioscience only recommends courses and workshops taught by capable and qualified instructors, and it does not promote any course or workshop taught by commercially-affiliated instructors.