The class covers the core principles of cryo-electron microscopes (cryoEM). It starts with an overview of the anatomy of electron microscopes and then moves on to Fourier transforms and principles of image formation. Building upon that foundation, the class then covers the sample preparation issues, data collection strategies, and basic image processing workflows for all 3 basic modalities of modern cryo-EM: tomography, single particle analysis, and 2-D crystallography.Philosophy:
This course focuses on concepts and not mathematical details. It is illustrated with examples images and drawings. This course is for all those who are interested in 3-D EM and cryo-EM. It's also suitable for molecular biologists, cell biologists and other professionals in these fields. This class can be used as a guide for those who are about to become cryo-electron-microscopists or anyone looking to gain a better understanding of the literature and the conversations at cryoEM meetings.
Pre-requisites:
The recommended prerequisites are college-freshman-level math, physics, and biochemistry.
Pace:
The lecture videos are divided into 40 individual modules that each last approximately 20 minutes. You will find a set of questions at the end of each module that you can use as a concept checka to assess your understanding of it. It is possible to only go through one of the seven main subjects each day, as they are divided into modules. This would require you to watch a few hours of lectures and then spend an hour thinking about the concepts. A more reasonable approach would be to study one module per day over the course of a few months, or three modules each week for a term of 3 months.
You will likely want to continue certain modules as you move forward to using a cryoem or engaging in field activities.
