Facility Use
The University of Wisconsin Optical Imaging Core and its equipment is available to any student, staff, or faculty researcher. Users outside of the University of Wisconsin are also welcome, though are subject to a different rate structure. The University of Wisconsin Optical Core reserves the right to deny instrument or facility access to any individual if the policies outlined hereafter are not observed.
Instrumentation
- All users must receive instrument training prior to unsupervised use.
- Users are responsible for cleaning and maintaining equipment during use. This includes keeping an organized work space, cleaning immersion objectives, and properly disposing of used material.
- Users may be subject to fines if equipment is found to be damaged or mishandled.
Intellectual Property
Except when required by funding agreements, the University of Wisconsin Optical Imaging Core claims no ownership rights in the intellectual property generated by its users. Depending on your project, you may be required to report discoveries to the University in cases of invention or patenting. Questions about intellectual property should be directed to the appropriate representative in your school or college.
Confidentiality
Users are expected to keep their own data, and the data of others, confidential. Sharing, manipulating, or any type of alteration or disclosure of any other user’s data including (but not limited to) samples, sample preparation procedures, acquisition protocols, files, and data analysis, is prohibited. The University Knowledgebase offers several recommendations on handling and protecting sensitive data. The integrity and privacy of data obtained at the Optical Core is the sole responsibility of the user.
Scheduling
- A reservation is required for ALL instrument and equipment use, including the image analysis workstations.
- Reservations for instruments in which supervision is required must be made more than 48 hours in advance.
- Reservations cancelled within 24 hours of the session will be assessed the full usage fee for that session.
- Do not disturb other users sessions.
Payment
- Services rendered by the University of Wisconsin Optical Core are subject to an appropriate billing rate.
- Rates are charged to fully-charted SFS accounts supplied by a lab or user group at the time of account creation.
- Only one project fund may be applied to a lab or user group at any time.
- Billing is handled monthly for all charges accrued during the previous month. Invoices can be request by contacting us.
Image and Data Analysis
- Computers tethered to the instruments are for acquisition only.
- Data should be processed on personal machines or one of our dedicated free-use analysis workstations at all times. Check the scheduling calendar for availability of these machines.
Data Storage
- The integrity and privacy of data obtained at the Optical Core is the sole responsibility of the user.
- Data should not be stored on the computer tethered to the instrument. Instead, an online data storage drive is available for use and may be accessed via an Optical Core machine or by a personal computer via FTP. Contact us for instructions.
- Data that has been stored inappropriately on Optical Core machines (e.g. left on the desktop without ownership identification, is older than 6 months, etc.) is subject to deletion without notification.
Resulting Publications
We ask that the University of Wisconsin Optical Imaging Core is acknowledged in publications using data obtained at the Core. Please contact us when a publication is released so that we may share your success.