The institute’s Advanced Light Microscopy Core manager, Alex Velong, knows a thing or two about confocal and super-resolution microscopes. He’s been selling microscopes, educating and training users, and even maintaining and repairing microscopes, for more than 20 years. He loves all of it, especially repairing them.
On a recent afternoon, Velong happily worked away in his garage, restoring a light microscope. The instrument was an older one, arriving with a new lab, and rust had accumulated under its viewing plate long ago. He grinded away the rusty part like he was restoring an old Cadillac, then repainted and reassembled it.
“This microscope is for using a patch clamp on a neuron,” he said. He made a movie of his handiwork. “After I put it back together, I caulked it so no more moisture could enter. We can now use this microscope for simple tasks.”
The Advanced Light Microscopy Core bills $120 an hour for repair services, which can be a great savings to labs.
“Hiring an engineer would have cost $3,000 a day. A replacement microscope would have cost $5,000 minimum,” Velong said.
Formerly account manager for Hunt Optics and Imaging, Velong was a longtime collaborating microscopy consultant for Scripps Research, Florida. He’s been helping scientists here with their imaging challenges since the institute’s earliest days. Earlier this year, Velong was hired by a faculty committee to establish the Advanced Light Microscopy Core.
Scientific Director Patrick Griffin, Ph.D., said Velong’s technical knowledge of microscopes is impressive. “As we look to build the capabilities of this core, labs can expect more training opportunities, more services and, over time, new instruments with additional capabilities,” Griffin said.
Velong reports to Gogce Crynen, Ph.D., who directs the institute’s scientific cores.
“The development of our Advanced Light Microscopy Core is part of our overall commitment to providing scientists with high-quality services. I encourage scientists to visit the Cores overview webpage to become acquainted with all of the technologies and services offered on campus.”
As he builds the webpages for the Advanced Light Microscopy Core, Velong is adding many details about the microscopes and how to sign up for training. He has also instituted protocols for taking the training needed to use the microscopes, to prevent their damage, and setting standard charges for billing grants.
“I would like to encourage collaboration among everyone who uses the equipment, to get the best results,” Velong said. “Having one focal point where we can share ideas and successes is key.”