Lab Usage

Use of the facility is primarily for university instruction and research at all levels of sophistication, but clients from other universities, foundations and industry are welcome to use this equipment, as well, and such work may be done on an invoice or contract basis. The facility is run as a principally a user facility, encouraging clients to participate in preparing and observing their materials. Use of the major instruments requires monetary recharge that partially reimburses our maintenance and operations costs. Usage may be arranged following consultation with SRNML personnel; reservations and logging and done through our iLab site.

Additional information on our website describes student opportunities for hands-on microscopy courses, the Graduate Certificate in Microscopic Imaging & Technology, and opportunities for tours. We are happy to give lectures and demonstrations for classes, and welcome visitors to explore lab facilities.

Any faculty member, student, post-doctorate, visiting scientist or research staff at the University of Oklahoma may be a user of the SRNML. Users of all forms should be aware of our policies. Users fall into two categories.

1. Qualified instrument operators. Researchers whose work requires the use of one or more of the microscopes and the support equipment are encouraged to become qualified operators of the instruments and to do their own work. To become a qualified operator, a researcher must be certified by SRNML personnel that he/she is qualified to operate a particular instrument. Certification must be obtained for each instrument separately.
2. Occasional users. Researchers who have only a limited need for the facilities of the SRNML may arrange for all or portions of the work to be performed by SRNML personnel, on a time available basis.

Make an appointment to discuss your experimental plan and match with core facility capabilities. 

• For general inquiries, if you're not sure how the lab might help, or want to learn more about what is available and how we can help, email Andy at amadden@ou.edu or srnml@ou.edu. 
• For confocal/ light microscopy: Email Dr. Tingting Gu at tingting.gu-1@ou.edu; 
• For scanning electron microscopy email Dr. Preston Larson at plarson@ou.edu; 
• For transmission electron microscopy, email Dr. Julian Sabisch at jsabisch@ou.edu.

To visit the lab in-person, OU-Norman and OU-HSC can email us your OU ID# (such as 112-xx-xxxx) and we will add your ID card for our Sooner Card lock system.

Starting July 1st, 2022, all researchers internal and external to OU must register and access lab resources through our iLab portal.  Researchers with existing iLab accounts through other facilities should be able to login to our core facility's iLab page with your current account.

This guide will help lead you through the getting started process step-by-step.

The iLab help website is a great resource that includes a 'Getting started with iLab' guide.

Let us know (email Andy, amadden@ou.edu) if you would like to be added to one or more of our mailing lists for regular updates and events at SRNML:

• PI group
• confocal users group
• SEM users group
• TEM users group