Weizmann Institute of Science
Weizmann Institute of Science
Israel
Sharon Wolf and Michael Elbaum
Team Members: Nadav Elad, Tali Dadosh, Katya Rechav, Eyal Shimoni
The team of Sharon Wolf and Michael Elbaum have been pioneering the modern application of cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy and tomography for biological samples.
The Weizmann Institute of Science is one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary research institutions. The Institute has five faculties, Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biology, which are divided into 17 scientific departments. To encourage interaction across traditional disciplines, the Institute has created some 50 research institutes and centers that stimulate activity in a wide variety of areas. The Feinberg Graduate School, the Institute’s university arm, trains research students pursuing graduate degrees. Today the campus community numbers more than 2,700, with 250 independent research groups and roughly 1500 research students and postdoctoral fellows. Numerous international conferences and symposia are held in the Institute, as well as a wide range of other cultural and educational activities aimed to encourage greater interest in science among school and college students as well as the general public.
The Weizmann electron microscopy unit reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the Institute as a whole, supporting both life science and materials science research under one roof. Under the direction of Sharon Wolf the facility has seen a major expansion in recent years. Advanced transmission microscopes include Titan Krios and Arctica for cryo-EM, and a Themis with aberration correction for materials. In addition the unit holds numerous scanning EM tools including two focused ion beam – SEM, both of them cryo-capable and a full range of sample preparation tools for cryo-microscopy and tomography. The unit also houses an advanced light microscopy facility with capabilities for super-resolution and cryo-light microscopy to support correlative approaches in house.
Michael Elbaum heads the Irving and Cherna Moskowitz Center for Nano and Bio-nano Imaging, which supports the environment of advanced microscopy at the Institute. His reseach team is heavily involved in development of novel methods and applications for cryo-tomography, in particular with scanning transmission EM.