Imaging and Biological Characterization

Core Facility Name: Image and Data Acquisition Core (IDAC)

Director: Onesmo Balemba

Manager: Raquel Simão Gurge

Contact Information: imci-idac@uidaho.edu, rsimaogurge@uidaho.edu, obalemba@uidaho.edu   

Website Address:  https://imci.uidaho.edu/idac/

The Image and Data Acquisition Core (IDAC) at University of Idaho is a state-of-the-art, fee-for-service facility managed by the Institute for Modeling, Collaboration, and Innovation (IMCI). It serves both on-campus and off-campus researchers, providing access to cutting-edge technologies for imaging and data acquisition.

The IDAC is equipped to handle a wide range of research applications, from high-resolution imaging to complex data analysis. The facility features advanced imaging instruments, including confocal microscopes capable of in vivo imaging, allowing researchers to observe live biological processes in real-time. Additionally, the core provides powerful cytometry tools, including an analytical flow cytometer and cell sorter, enabling high-throughput analysis and sorting of cells based on specific properties, a critical tool for immunology, cancer research, and cell biology studies.

To complement its imaging capabilities, the IDAC offers specialized software for data analysis and processing, ensuring that researchers can efficiently manage and interpret their data. This shared resource fosters collaboration and innovation across various scientific disciplines, empowering researchers to push the boundaries of discovery in their respective fields.

Core Facility Name: Electron Microscopy Center

Director/Manager: Tom Williams

Contact information: 208-885-6656, tomw@uidaho.edu

Website address:  none

The University of Idaho Electron Microscopy Center is a multi-user shared instrumentation facility for materials characterization and research that spans disciplines from materials engineering and chemistry to soils and geology to biology and food science.  Instrument capabilities include scanning and transmission electron microscopy, x-ray microanalysis, visible light and polarized light microscopy and powder x-ray diffraction.

Core Facility Name: CER StreamLab

Director/Manager: Prof. Ralph Budwig

Contact information: rbudwig@uidaho.edu

Website address: uidaho.edu/engr/research/cer/research/stream-lab

CER StreamLab: A large-scale, tilting sediment flume to allow fundamental and applied research of processes in headwater streams and mountain rivers with a unique combination of scale, instrumentation, computer-control and ability to interface with researchers through the Internet.

Low-cost Aquatic Sensors: Design and fabrication of aquatic sensor systems for long-term field deployment. Measurements include dissolved oxygen, temperature, pressure, and electrical conductivity. Sensor systems are self-contained to take and store data for over a year and are powered by a small on-board battery.

Core Facility Name: Fish Ecology Research Lab (FERL)

Director/Manager: Chris Caudill

Contact information:208-885-7614, caudill@uidaho.edu

Website address: uidaho.edu/ferl

The UI FERL provides telemetry monitoring services, including fish tagging and monitoring using Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT), acoustic, and radio telemetry technologies. The center also provides water quality monitoring services using multimeter sondes and collection and sampling of benthic macroinvertebrate samples. The center provides necessary vehicles (trucks, autos, boats) to access field sites and required computers and software for data management and analysis support.

Core Facility Name: Kennedy Analytical Lab

Director/Manager: Jens Hegg

Contact information: jhegg@uidaho.edu, kennedy@uidaho.edu

Website address: uidaho.edu/cnr/research

The Kennedy lab maintains a full-service laboratory for analysis of hard part microchemistry across a wide variety of ecological applications. Our services include sample preparation and cutting-edge analysis using thermal ionization and laser-ablation mass spectrometry for trace element and isotopic analysis of otoliths and other hard part samples across numerous taxa. Trace element and isotopic techniques can be powerful tools to answer questions in many ecological and geochemical systems. These chemical tracers have been used to uncover details of origin, movement and life history in aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates as well as plants, as well as age and provenance studies of geological systems. Our lab has the expertise and equipment to help you conduct a robust analysis of your scientific questions. We welcome your inquiries and collaboration.