Micro-view opens up big picture

Technological advances designed to help scientists solve big problems by gaining a better micro-view of the world is the theme of a conference being held at Deakin University's Waterfront Campus in Geelong, from 2- 6 February.

To be opened by CSIRO Chief Executive, Dr Geoff Garrett, the Australian Conference on Microscopy and Microanalysis will feature addresses by experts - from Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, Japan, Germany and France - on topics ranging from identifying new viruses to making tougher materials.

Papers being presented cover applications including:

• Analysing the uptake and cellular metabolism of carcinogens and drugs
• Looking into the finer details of organs such as the heart and liver
• Understanding what makes one kiwifruit more peelable than another
• Scanning electron microscopes to analyse gunshot residues and help solve crimes
• Networking specialist scientific equipment for wider usage

Conference co-organiser, Dr Alex Hyatt of CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), says the use of increasingly sophisticated microanalysis equipment and techniques will help research scientists working in exciting new fields such as genomics and nanotechnology.

"When you can actually see what is going on, all sorts of solutions become evident," Dr Hyatt says.

"Microscopy is becoming more integrative with both life and the physical sciences and will be a key discipline in the next generation of discoveries," he says.

Many of the around 300 delegates attending the conference will also participate in a series of workshops hosted by AAHL on topics ranging from interpretation of atomic resolution images to looking at live cells.

For further information on the conference, please visit Deakin University

Item provided courtesy of CSIRO