Profile
Don Johnson is a doctoral candidate in the Chemistry & Biochemistry department at UC, San Diego. Working under Dr. Mark H. Ellisman, Don works on developing methodologies for connecting data across multiple modalities. In particular, Don works on developing conductive epoxy resins for serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBSEM). SBSEM is a novel electron microscopy technique aimed at collecting 3-dimensional images of a biological specimen. This technique commonly accompanies an array of other microscopy modalities, such as TEM, X-ray and light microscopy. This combination of modalities is commonly referred to as correlated microscopy. In order to properly define a field of view for each technique, Don also works on the development of fiducial markers for correlating across these different modalities. These phosphorescent materials are ideal universal markers for establishing landmarks in a biological specimen. They are also capable of being useful targeting markers for labeling extracellular proteins. In the long-term, SBSEM could play a central role in whole volume collection, specimen mapping, and correlated microscopy.
