Getting Started

Before we can provide service to anyone, a PPMS account is required:

How do I get a PPMS account?
  • Newcomers to ISTA get ICP and PPMS accounts during their on-boarding.
  • External visitors and interns will need to organize a PPMS account with the hosting group. An approval from the hosting PI for the use of the hosting group cost account is needs to be provided.
  • External cooperations will need to establish an agreement before we can provide our services

Required steps to start using IOF equipment & services:

  1. All users of the Imaging and Optics facility need to attend the “intro to newcomers”: This training takes place on every 2nd Monday of the month. Here, we will explain our usage & booking guidelines, training guidelines and required safety guidelines (biosafety, laser, mercury lamps)
    → request the “intro to newcomers” via our online booking system
  2. Basic Microscopy Quiz and Laser Safety Quiz: After the intro, you will be enrolled to two courses on Moodle. A basic microscopy quiz to ensure that you understand the basics and can focus on the instructions to operate the microscope during the training, and the legally mandatory laser safety quiz. Not passing the test will require to participate in a seminar, and redoing the test.
    → find the Basic Microscopy Quiz and Slides on Moodle
    → find the Laser Safety Quiz and Slides on Moodle
  3. Training: Imaging and Optics facility equipment can only be used after completing an equipment training
    i) please take note of our training guidelines
    ii) equipment trainings are only provided by facility staff
    iii) most Systems require at least two trainings. You have to provide your own sample for the second training
    → trainings need to be requested via our online booking system PPMS
  4. Booking & usage -rights:  Upon completion of such training, you will be granted booking rights to book the equipment in our online booking system → all bookings need to comply with our microscopy, cytometry & safety policies. Most importantly, it is strictly forbidden to use any of the setups without booking or training, or to use any system on the name of another user.

*you can see your training requests and booked sessions in your MyPPMS -page. If your training is listed at your MyPPMS -page, your training request was successfully submitted and a response from us to organize a training is pending. (No automatic receipt response is provided from PPMS.)

Facility Policies at a glance:

Training & Usage rights
Usage policy: Microscopes
Usage policy: Cytometry
Usage Tracker (PPMS)

An overview of all our Facility-Policies, Booking- and Safety- Guidelines are listed on our Guidelines & Bookings page

Additional Information to get started:

Online Booking system: PPMS

For any issues with your cost-center / cost account → see our PPMS-FAQ section.