The ALMC is staffed year-round during peak hours, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday (excluding university holidays and closures, such as inclement weather days).
Advanced users who have completed comprehensive training, accrued a minimum of 30 hours of documented instrument usage and demonstrated a thorough understanding of instrument operation as well as applicable health and safety protocols are eligible for unsupervised, 24/7 access to ALMC instruments.
Out-of-hours use requires that users sign out a facility key and record their session on the official ALMC booking calendar. Access privileges may be revoked at any time at the discretion of ALMC staff in cases of misuse, noncompliance or safety concerns.
The ALMC operates a per-hour, fee-for-service model. Rates as of Aug. 1, 2025, are shown below.
Light microscopes
| Instrumentation | Internal user fees (peak hours) | Internal user fees (off-peak hours) | External academic user fees | External industry user fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leica SP8 laser scanning confocal with tunable white light laser, UV diode, and argon laser, MaiTai DeepSee Ti-Sapphire multiphoton ultrafast laser, 3D STED capability, environmental chamber | $38/hour STED/2-photon: $40/hour | $25/hour STED/2-photon: $30/hour | $55/hour STED/2-photon: | $94/hour STED/2 photon: $105/hour |
| Leica SP8 laser scanning confocal with 4 diode lasers and Digital Light Sheet | $32/hour | $20/hour | $48/hour | $68/hour |
| Andor Dragonfly 602 spinning disk confocal with Andor iXon 888 Life EMCCD camera, Sona-6 Extreme sCMOS camera, Mosaic3 optical module, environmental chamber | $32/hour | 5-to-25-hour use flat fee: $120 Per 24-hour period: $185 | $48 | $68 |
| Leica GSD TIRF with Andor iXon Ultra 897 EMCCD camera | $22/hour | —— | $47/hour | $68/hour |
| Leica DM5500B widefield | $5/hour | $5/hour | $8/hour | $20/hour |
| Nikon Ti2E widefield with environmental chamber | $8/hour | $8/hour | $15/hour | $25/hour |
| Nikon Ti2E widefield | $8/hour | $8/hour | $15/hour | $25/hour |
| Leica Thunder stereomicroscopy system | $5/hour | $5/hour | $8/hour | $20/hour |
| Leica M205 FA stereomicroscope | $5/hour | $5/hour | $8/hour | $20/hour |
| Leica-Eppendorf microinjection system | $5/hour | —— | $8/hour | $20/hour |
| ArcturusXT laser capture microdissection system | $20/hour | —— | $8/hour | $20/hour |
Preparative equipment
| Instrumentation | Internal user fees (peak hours) | External academic user fees | External industry user fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leica CM3050S cryostat | $8/hour | $10/hour | $40/hour |
| Leica CM1950 cryostat | $8/hour | $10/hour | $40/hour |
| Paraffin microtome | $8/hour | $10/hour | $40/hour |
| Vibratome | $8/hour | $10/hour | $40/hour |
| Artos 3D ultramicrotome | $8/hour | —— | $40/hour |
| Leica EM RAPID block trimmer | $8/hour | —— | $40/hour |
| LKB knife maker | $11.50/hour | —— | $50/hour |
Other services
| Service | Internal user fees | External academic user fees |
|---|---|---|
| Image analysis and processing stations with Huygens Professional, Metamorph, LASX and Imaris software | $5/hour | $8/hour |
| Training | $55/hour | $75/hour |
| Assistance/full-service | $55/hour | $75/hour |
| Image generation | $100/hour | $150/hour |