Alpha Innotech Gel Imaging and Histo-densitometric Analysis Systems Alpha Imaging System: Two Alpha Imaging Systems were donated by Cal Poly Alumnus Darryl Ray, Founder and President of Alpha Innotech. The first system, Alpha Imager 1 was donated to us with two videocameras, one for gel analysis setup (Fig. 8A), and the other was mounted onto a Zeiss Microscope (not shown). The Alpha Imaging System is used for studying gels using densitometric analysis. The system has been converted for remote control operation over a network. At present, the Alpha Imager is accessible from any workstation on the campus network. This accessibility allows students to control the operation of the Alpha Imager as well as transfer data to and from it from a remote location. A Zeiss Optiphot Compound Microscope with trinocular head and analog videocamera is also connected to the Alpha Imaging System for microscopic densitometric analysis of histological preparations. The current configuration is limited by the inability of the remote control interface to send live video data from the Alpha Imager to a remote location. With the current configuration, images can be captured and analyzed remotely, but the image cannot be viewed remotely unless it has already been acquired. Future plans include the addition of a companion PC that will acquire the live video image from the Alpha Imager and transmit it to remote locations across the network, thereby eliminating this limitation.
Fig. 8A Alpha Imager 1 B Alpha Imager 2001 During the funding period the Biological Sciences underwent a significant expansion. A new Biotechnology Building 4 was completed. Most of the faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences moved into new Offices and laboratories. A few of the more important changes included the following: (i) A single small Biotechnology laboratory room (Rm 8-141) was replaced by a larger Multi-user Biotechnology Laboratory in the new Biotechnology Building 4, which now houses a number of research instruments, including: A new Alpha Imager 2001 (Fig. 7B), a new donated Cyto-fluor Plate Reader, a Research Compound Microscope, and a Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorter (FACS). (ii) The Building 8 Microscopy Center has been expanded from a 5 room center to an 8 room Center. (iii) Initially a single 30 station Hewlett-Packard Computer Laboratory (Rm 8-302) was used cooperatively by the Departments of Biology, Physics and Computer Science. In its place three new computer labs have been been built in the new Biotechnology Building. In addition, all teaching labs and research labs in Building 4 are wired for high speed internet connections. Building 8 laboratories and classrooms are also in the process of getting wired for high speed internet connections.
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