Heidelberg, September 27 – Just a week after sharing neighboring booths at the EMC2024 conference in Copenhagen, Lisa Yen, CEO of Microscopy Australia, visited the Global BioImaging team at their headquarters at EMBL.

As one of the founding partners of Global BioImaging, alongside India BioImaging and Euro-BioImaging, Microscopy Australia has maintained a strong connection with the global imaging community. Yen's visit offered a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas and explore strategies to strengthen both regional and global imaginetworks. Founded in 2005, Microscopy Australia has been a pioneering force in connecting imaging facilities with researchers across Australia, currently managing over 240 microscopes across nine facilities and nine associated laboratories. In her seminar at EMBL, Yen detailed the impact of the network and shared insights on Microscopy Australia’s approach to building a collaborative, national microscopy capability.

A key highlight of the tools and opportunities she presented remains MyScope, a free online tool providing comprehensive training on the use of various microscopes. Designed for researchers and scientists of all experience levels, MyScope offers realistic simulations of microscopy systems, allowing users to explore what can and cannot be measured with different techniques. This resource has become increasingly valuable for scientists worldwide who seek to deepen their understanding of advanced imaging technologies.

Yen also discussed outreach and communication strategies, crucial for the long-term sustainability of research infrastructures. One initiative designed to engage a wider audience and forge connections between science, culture and art is Stories & Structures – New Connections, a recent science-art exhibition where microscopy images were artistically interpreted by Indigenous Australians. The beautiful work is also still available to admire online.

The visit highlights the ongoing collaboration between Microscopy Australia and Global BioImaging, paving the way for continued innovation and knowledge-sharing within the global imaging community.

Lisa Yen's visit concluded with a dinner that unintentionally became an inspiring all-female event featuring Beth Cimini, co-developer of CellProfiler, the first open-source, high-throughput cell image analysis software, and Anna Kreshuk, who leads a team at EMBL developing machine learning-based tools for automatic segmentation and analysis of biological images.