Instrumentation, Fabrication, and Design Core

Instrumentation and Fabrication Core Resource for Vision Sciences, Ronald Silverman, Core Director Summary/Abstract The long-term goal of the Core is to provide mechanical design and fabrication support for vision research at Columbia, especially that of investigators with RO1 grants and young investigators gathering data for their first successful RO1s. State-of-the-art vision research is dependent upon the development of new technology and the improvement of current technology. The Core supports a specially dedicated machine shop and one machinist. Because the shop is in-house, and the machinist is familiar with demands of vision research, designing new equipment is far more efficient than it would be with a University or commercial shop. The core has four specific aims: 1)To design and build custom equipment necessary for vision research, both systems neuroscience vision research and ophthalmic science. 2)To provide emergency repairs and modifications for equipment currently in use for vision research. 3)To train students and postdoctoral fellows in the most effective ways to collaborate with instrument designers. 4)To encourage collaboration among vision research investigators, having them share ideas for new devices that might be used in multiple laboratories. This is especially important for systems neuroscience vision research, where similar equipment is used to answer vastly different scientific questions. Collaboration in instrument design has often led to scientific collaboration. The Core builds the standard devices used for systems neuroscience such as recording chambers, primate chairs and grids. Although some of these devices are available commercially, the ones built by the Core are far more durable. Examples of custom equipment built by the Core are cage mounted behavioral training systems to train monkeys in their home cage rather than using rig time; a system for lifting a monkey chair to the cage opening to facilitate transfer from the cage to the chair; a 3D ultrasound probe manipulator for blood flow studies in rat eyes. This now successful prototype will be expanded for use in humans.