Autumn School on Optical Microscopy
University of Trieste (UniTs), October 15–17, 2025
The Autumn School on Optical Microscopy was successfully held at UniTs in collaboration with CIMA and CNR-IOM. Fifteen early-career researchers participated, including 10 Italians, 3 Slovenians, and 2 Croatians, consisting of 10 PhD students and 5 postdoctoral researchers.
The scientific program featured lectures on principles of optics, super-resolution imaging, confocal microscopy, multiphoton microscopy, structured illumination, image analysis, and quantitative microscopy. Lectures were delivered by experts from UniTs and CNR-IOM, followed by short “snap talks” from selected participants.
Daily poster sessions, coffee breaks, shared lunches, and a networking dinner provided opportunities for discussion and collaboration. Hands-on laboratory sessions allowed participants to work directly with high-content imaging, multiphoton microscopy, and confocal systems in small rotating groups.
Participants reported improved understanding of microscopy techniques, experimental planning, and image analysis workflows. The event successfully strengthened cross-border collaboration between Italian, Slovenian, and Croatian institutions.
Overall, the Autumn School achieved its educational and networking goals, and participants expressed interest in attending future editions.
Final program:
| Wednesday 15/10/25 | Thursday 16/10/25 | Friday 17/10/25 |
9:00-10:00 | Principles of Optics and History of Microscopy Baj (UniTs) | Life Imaging Techniques Thalhammer (UniTs) | Arivis for Image analysis Tongnato (Zeiss) |
10:00-11:00 | Superresolution Imaging Cojoc (CNR-IOM) | Multiphoton and Structured Illumination Microscopy Thalhammer (UniTs) | Quantitative Microscopy Baj (UniTs) |
11:00-12:00 | Coffee break and posters | Coffee break and posters | Coffee break and posters |
12:00-13:00 | Confocal Microscopy Conti (CNR-IOM) | Selected presentations: Cmok, Nemec, Rossi, Sterle | Advanced confocal imaging: point scanner versus spinning disk Sieberer (Evident) |
13:10-14:30 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
14:30-17:30 Lab | High Content Imaging (HIC) Microscope Group A with Baj | High Content Imaging (HIC) Microscope Group B with Baj | High Content Imaging (HIC) Microscope Group C with Baj |
Multiphoton Microscopy Group B with Thalhammer | Multiphoton Microscopy Group C with Thalhammer | Multiphoton Microscopy (MP) Group Awith Thalhammer | |
Confocal Microscopy (CNR-IOM) Group C with Conti | Confocal Microscopy (CNR-IOM) Group A with Conti | Confocal Microscopy (CNR-IOM) Group B with Conti |
