Policies

Imaging Core Policies

Attribution

Facility users must acknowledge the Imaging Core facility in any published work that reports data collected and processed using either core equipment or staff assistance. The facility is supported by federal funds, which must be acknowledged.

Based on NIH attribution guidelines, users are required to use the following attribution statement:

“Imaging studies were conducted in the UND Imaging Core facility supported by NIH grant P20GM113123, DaCCoTA CTR NIH grant U54GM128729, and UNDSMHS funds."

Please note also that NIH requires that all articles arising from NIH supported work (including work in NIH supported core facilities) must be deposited in PubMed Central and have a PMCID. Please adhere to this policy.

Consultation and Training

1. Prospective users of the imaging core equipment are encouraged to contact Dr. Amanda Haage (701.777.5627 or amanda.haage@UND.edu) prior to beginning their project to discuss feasibility and design of proposed imaging studies.
2. Training on the equipment by Imaging Core personnel is required of all users. Users will need to demonstrate an adequate level of expertise in the use and care of the equipment before being permitted independent access to the facility. First time users must contact the Senior Research Specialist, Sarah Abrahamson (701.777.3399 or sarah.abrahamson@UND.edu) to schedule training.

Scheduling

1. Users must schedule their time utilizing the scheduling platform on the Imaging Core website (Scheduling).  Independent access to machinery will be granted once training has been completed. Until users have been fully trained and receive their independent access, they are asked to contact the Senior Research Specialist to schedule training times.
2. Users more than 15min late from their scheduled start time will have their reservation canceled and they will be charged for up to three hours of their original scheduled time.
3. Repeated same day rescheduling of reservations made for usage during in office hours, may result in extra charges and suspension of core use upon discretion of the core director.

User Responsibilities

1. Samples for training will be provided by the Imaging Core for training purposes only. Should the user wish to train with their own samples, they will be billed the hourly usage rate for the equipment they are utilizing in accordance with the current Imaging Core’s pricing schedule. 
2. Software for image processing and post-acquisition data analysis is available on the Imaging Core’s workstation. Software available includes Matlab, FIJI, and LAS X.
3. Data on the microscope computer hard drives that are over one month old will be deleted at the beginning of each month. To avoid loss of data, users are strongly encouraged to transfer their imaging data to their own storage media or to a server site at the end of each imaging session. 
4. If you should encounter problems with any of the microscopes or workstations, be sure to ask Imaging Core personnel for help rather than to try and fix the problem yourself.

After Hours Usage

1. In order to use the Imaging Core after hours you must:
   • Have at least 20 hours of usage on the scope you wish to use.
   • Receive clearance from the microscopy technician or core director.
2. Once clearance is received, access will be granted via your university ID card.
   • Allow up to one week for clearance to be enacted
3. If a user is found to be not following imaging center or university policies, after-hour use privileges may be revoked.
4. At this time there is no after hours usage of the EM machinery.