UC2 Microscopy Building Workshop at BioRTC Yobe University, Nigeria
Welcome to the UC2 Microscopy Workshop! 📷🔬
If you've ever been curious about the fascinating world of microscopy, you're in the right place! In this workshop, we will take you on a journey through the core concepts of microscopy, starting with lenses and interferometry, where you'll learn how different waves superpose to create powerful imaging techniques.
Our approach centers around the open-source modular toolbox, UC2. This revolutionary system is built on the idea that every optical, mechanical, or electrical component can be mounted inside a compact 50mm cube. With a wide variety of components already available in our extensive library, you'll have the flexibility to design and build your own optical setups, limited only by your creativity.
We'll kick off the workshop with the fully lensless microscope, utilizing just an LED, spatial filter, sample, and camera sensor. As we progress, you'll upgrade to a finite corrected objective lens, improving the resolution and focusing capabilities on the camera chip. We'll explore different microscopy techniques, including directional microscopy and light sheet microscopy, where the alignment of light enhances optical resolution along the axis.
The heart of our workshop is the UC2-produced microscope, aptly named "sub." Although basic, it is the perfect tool to grasp the fundamental concepts of microscopy. From there, the possibilities are limitless as you delve into designing and printing specific inserts to adapt the system for your experiments.
The UC2 system was born out of a quest for a small, affordable microscope for lifestyle microscopy imaging inside an incubator. As it evolved, we expanded its modularity, adding different contrast mechanisms and extensions like fluorescence and more. The success of this open-source initiative has been demonstrated through various publications, showcasing its applications in structured illumination microscopy, focal microscopene, and beyond.
Our mission is to bridge the gap between education and real-world applications, providing a platform where anyone, regardless of experience, can get creative with optics. We strive to make microscopy accessible and affordable for all, and we are excited to announce the birth of our company, now headquartered in Gina, as we embark on a journey to revolutionize microscopy.
So, if you're ready to dive into the world of microscopy, join us in this workshop as we build and enhance simple microscopes, bring them to life with software and image processing, and unlock the incredible potential of UC2 and open-source hardware.
Let's embark on this adventure together! Happy exploring! 🚀✨
Furhter links​
Inline Holographic Microscope:
Simple SEEED ESP32S3 Xiao Sense-based microscope:
Michelson Interferometer:
Light-sheet microscope: