Courses

Fall and spring semesters. 3 credits.  Use of the transmission electron microscope and preparative equipment in the biological sciences. Sectioning for electron microscopy.
Contact: Dr. Alicia Withrow, 517-355-5004, pastorle@msu.edu

Fall and spring semesters. 3 credits. Experimental methods for transmission electron microscopy in the physical sciences, including digital photography, imaging, diffraction, and microanalysis.
Contact: Dr. Andy Elwood Madden, maddenan@msu.edu

Fall and spring semesters. 1 credit, modular class, students may enroll for a maximum of 5 credits. Advanced experimental methods of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for the physical sciences. Bright field-dark field imaging. High resolution TEM imaging, nano beam diffraction and convergent beam diffraction. Scanning transmission electron imaging, energy filtered TEM imaging, and electron energy loss spectroscopy.
Contact: Dr. Andy Elwood Madden, maddenan@msu.edu

Fall and spring semesters. 3 credits. Scanning electron microscope operation,  sample preparation, secondary electron imaging, backscattered electron imaging, high and low vacuum SEM modes, ultra-high resolution imaging techniques, and energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis.
Contact: Dr. Andy Elwood Madden, maddenan@msu.edu

• Class structure: Andy will be teaching the lecture periods this semester (once weekly on Monday afternoons 2:10-4 pm); Amy Albin and Abby Vanderberg will be teaching the individual lab sections during the week; we'll find a 1.5 hour time that matches with your schedule.
• "Pre-bill" requirement: We require students in the course to have research supervisor / Professor to provide information to support your training with a $400 'pre-bill' deposit that you can use for your microscope time during the semester, which can also continue to be used after the end of the semester. 
• Enrollment form: Please complete the enrollment form and return to Andy with your research advisor's signature (an email attachment is fine).
• Transition to independent user: After students complete the course, they will have the opportunity to become an independent user of the SEM and Keyence microscopes. In the meantime, they can still use them in collaboration with one of the CAM scientists through assisted use sessions.

Fall and spring semesters of every year, summer in odd numbered years. 3 credits. The course covers conventional and confocal light microscope theory and operation, optics, light sources, filters, and techniques for transmission, fluorescence and reflection imaging.  Advanced techniques include FRAP, FRET, spectral imaging, laser capture, two-photon microscopy and super resolution microscopy.
Contact: Dr. Melinda Frame, 517-432-2327, framem@msu.edu

Waiver of Course Visitor policy, College of Natural Science

Michigan State University (MSU) has a process for Enrolling and Registering as a Visitor (Auditor)  in a course. Course enrollment as an auditor is on a non-credit basis and requires appropriate approval and payment of tuition and fees as for a credit registration. Furthermore, auditors can be dropped from the class at the request of the instructor if they do not meet course requirements.

Rules and regulations concerning unregistered course auditors

The College of Natural Science (NatSci) understands the need of its members to audit courses or parts of a course without formal registration to grow professionally.  Granting a waiver of the class visitor policy for individuals to audit a NatSci class is a privilege and not a right. The college delegates on instructors and unit administrators the authority to evaluate professional needs of audit requestors and grant them auditing privileges provided they establish rules and regulations that ensure visitor’s compliance with MSU expectations of behavior and conduct. Such rules and regulations must be consistent with and include the following:

• Class visitors shall be MSU graduate students, postdocs, visiting scholars or other employees in good academic standing.
• They may only be permitted to audit lecture-based courses and recitations without formal registration, on a space available basis.
  • Laboratory courses require formal enrollment and tuition payment.
  • Persons taking the course for credit or registering as class visitors (and, thus, paying tuition) receive priority.
• Unregistered visitors must demonstrate a reasonable need to audit the course and do not receive credit or formal academic recognition.
• The audit request must be approved by the instructor and unit administrator (department chair or program director).
• Approved class visitors must adhere to the course, unit and university regulations, including those related to academic behavior and conduct.
• The instructor and unit administrator reserve the right to drop the class visitor from the course at any time and without explanation.

NatSci Waiver of Course Visitor Policy Request form download