News
Nikon Instruments' C1 Microscope Helps Reigning Champ Win Coveted 'Maggot' Award
Oct 21, 2002
Winner retains his title at the Second Annual Confocal Imaging Shoot-Out
New year, same result. Gerald S. Benham, manager of Bioscience Confocal Systems at Nikon Instruments Inc., won the prestigious "Maggot" Award for the second time in as many years at the Second Annual Confocal Imaging Shoot-Out. Benham's winning image, taken with the Nikon C1 Confocal Microscope Imaging System, was an optical cross-section of a confocal fly larva rear-end.
This competition, held during the Analytical Quantitative Light Microscopy (AQLM) course last April at the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass, compares and illustrates different components of imaging systems, particularly the confocal imaging system. In order to make a successful comparison, all competitors must use the same subject.
Competitors were challenged to produce the best confocal fly larva image technically possible and were judged based on innovative approach, image quality, and presentation. Judging the contest was Dr. Edward Hinchcliffe, from the University of Notre Dame's Department of Biological Sciences and Dr. Aaron Straight, from Harvard Medical School's Department of Cell Biology Competition was fierce, but in the end Jerry Benham's images, taken with Nikon's C1 microscope system, came out on top. "I was extremely confident that my image - 103 optically perfect sections through the fly's rear-end - would be a winner," said Jerry Benham of Nikon Instruments Inc. "The C1 system gave me an edge because it produces clear, high quality images when working with live specimens."
For more information, contact Jerry Benham at jbenham.nikon@attglobal.net.
About the Nikon C1
The Nikon C1 Digital Eclipse Modular Confocal Microscope System delivers 3-dimensional confocal fluorescent images with unsurpassed resolution and contrast. This universal system is ultra-compact and lightweight, yet delivers top performance image quality. Users can now achieve a full array of confocal imaging techniques in multiple channels with the added bonus of Nikon's superior CFI60 optical performance, all at a better price than competitors charge for a basic 2-laser - 2-detector system. This ideal personal confocal system allows researchers who initially purchase basic systems to easily and inexpensively upgrade their instrument for the fullest performance.