Stereology: Sampling and Measurement of 3D Structures - 1661

Tune Course Centre and University of Copenhagen, May 6-9, 2008

 

Stereology Course

This course presents theory and practical techniques of stereology for obtaining reliable quantitative data from samples of 3D heterogeneous structures. Specifically, in this course you will be presented the theory and practice of stereology for the determination of number, connectivity, length, surface area, and volume using microscopy as well as remote sensing and other bioimaging techniques. The focus is on applications in food, plant and soil sciences, agriculture, horticulture and biosystems engineering. Examples include the description of food microstructure, of plant cellular structure, non-destructive measurement of internal and external produce quality for sorting and traceability, and the development of technology systems for mapping the distribution of growth, disease or injury in growing crops. Challenges and opportunities for making non-destructive measurements at microscopic and macroscopic scales will be highlighted.

 

The course is divided into three sections: The first is a preparation period of reading key literature in stereology. Participants are encouraged to present their own projects for discussion. Accordingly, you can also expect to do project-specific preparation, such as additional literature reading before and after the intensive session, in consultation with course instructors and your PhD advisor.

 

The second section of the course will be an intensive 3.5 days with invited experts from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Aarhus. An important part of the intensive course will be informal evening colloquia, where participants can discuss their projects with the instructors. A specially equipped light microscope set up for computer-assisted stereology will be demonstrated, and available for use during the course.

 

Participants should bring scissors, a ruler and a calculator to the intensive course.

 

The last section of the course lasts three weeks during which you will produce a product for the course. The course output will be a report describing a stereological sampling protocol related to your PhD project.

 

Registration for the course is compulsory.

 

Course Credit: 3 ECTS

 

Keywords: 3D, Bioimaging, Cross-disciplinary techniques, Food technology, Measurement, Microscopy, Microstructure, Morphology, Phytotechnology, Precision agriculture, Precision horticulture, Remote sensing, Spatial sampling

 

Target audience: Scientists and engineers using microscopy and other imaging and optical sensing techniques in plant biology and the agricultural, food and horticultural sciences

 

, Tel: +45 3533 3395