NSF Award
1148823
An award is made to the Broad Institute to identify and validate automated image analysis approaches to extract information from fluorescence microscopy images of co-cultured cell systems, while educating students, scientists, and the public about the theory, practice, and societal impact of biological image analysis. Biologists increasingly use co-culture systems, where two or more cell types are grown together in order to more accurately model their native environment. In order to use these powerful co-culture systems to tackle a wide range of basic biological research questions, the remaining challenge is to accurately extract quantitative measurements from each cell in microscopy images of such co-cultures, given that cell types with diverse morphologies are present. In close collaboration with researchers using co-culture systems, and building on the PI?s successful work in biological image analysis, this CAREER project integrates image analysis research and education. <br/><br/>The project will give the scientific community a validated, open-source software toolbox of image processing and machine learning algorithms readily usable by biologists. The education and outreach efforts of the project will produce validated, engaging educational materials that can be freely implemented by high school teachers around the world. More information about the project can be found at: http://www.broadinstitute.org/~anne/Carpenter_NSF_CAREER.html
