Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
The Beckman Institute is an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research institute on the Illinois campus. Devoted to basic research in the physical sciences, computation, engineering, imaging, biology, behavior, and cognition, it is organized around four main research themes: Biological Intelligence, Human–Computer Intelligent Interaction, Integrative Imaging, and Molecular and Electronic Nanostructures. It includes three user-shared facilities: Biomedical Imaging Center, Imaging Technology Group and Illinois Simulator Laboratory. These core facilities are open to all students, faculty, and staff at Illinois, as well as industrial users and independent researchers. Facility users are supported by a professional staff that includes PhD-educated microscopists, instrument technicians, visualization, graphics, and image analysis experts, and systems engineers.
Biomedical Imaging Center
BIC provides facilities, equipment, and training for research on nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. The Center's goal is to conduct research and develop human and animal imaging technology that addresses questions ranging from the single cell to the complex inter-dependent systems underlying cognitive function. BIC is committed to the development of cutting edge techniques which integrate magnetic resonance methods with other imaging techniques, including optical imaging, eye-tracking, EEG and MEG. These facilities and equipment include: 3T Siemens Magnetom Allegra MR Headscanner, 3T Allegra Mock Magnet/3T Mock Trio Magnet, Magnetom Trio 3T, 600 MHz Varian MR System, 512 Channel Bi-Wavelength Near-Infrared Imager, and Advanced AC magnetic field applicator for small animal hyperthermia treatment.
Imaging Technology Group
The primary mission of the Imaging Technology Group (ITG) is to provide state-of-the-art imaging facilities for researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and University of Illinois. This service mission is accomplished through two facilities: the Microscopy Suite and the Visualization Laboratory. A secondary mission of the ITG is to develop advanced imaging technologies with an emphasis on projects in remote instrument control and scientific visualization.
Microscopy Suite - is one of the two primary service facilities supported by the Imaging Technology group. A wide range of imaging modalities and supporting equipment is available for the preparation, imaging, and analysis of microscopic specimens. Instruments in the facility include dissecting, stereology, fluorescence, confocal, transmission electron, environmental scanning electron, atomic force and near field scanning optical microscopes, and micro- and nano-XCT. Various supporting facilities include a wet lab and small equipment available for checkout. Ancillary equipment housed in the supporting facilities includes an ultramicrotome, a carbon evaporator, a sputter coater, and a fiber optic puller. Consult the equipment pages for detailed information. Extensive computing facilities for data analysis, processing, and interpretation are available within the Microscopy Suite, with additional resources available in the Visualization Laboratory. The ITG also supports several educational and outreach projects specifically related to the Microscopy Suite, for example Bugscope and the Web Atlas of Cellular Structures.
Visualization Laboratory - is a Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology facility operated by the Imaging Technology Group. This world class laboratory is open to all faculty, students and staff on the UIUC campus, as well as approved users from other universities and industry. The Visualization Laboratory resources support a wide variety of projects for research, including: 2D/3D/4D image analysis and quantification, scientific visualization, ultra-high speed video, macro-photograpy, macro-video, video production, 3D animation, high-resolution 2D scanning, 3D object scanning, full-color 3D printing, research presentation methods, publication graphics, and additional capabilities in support of imaging. These resources are provided to lab users through a broad variety of state-of-the-art hardware and software options. ITG staff is available to teach and aid each individual user in accomplishing their goals within the laboratory.
Illinois Simulator Laboratory
The Illinois Simulator Laboratory (ISL) is a Beckman Institute facility for advancing scientific understanding of human-computer interactions and analyzing complex three-dimensional datasets with immersive technology. The primary mission of the ISL is to support the integration of advanced technologies so that researchers can conduct experiments in human multi-modal perception and cognition. To facilitate this mission, the ISL maintains discrete laboratories allowing the incorporation of individualized multimodal control and monitoring technologies into advanced visualization environments, both immersive and ultra-high resolution. The ISL also provides high-end visualization technologies to view, analyze, and interpret imaging data sets.