Stereology Informatica

Stereology Informatica is about the science of stereology. This is the science of estimating or measuring geometrical quantities. Stereology estimates things like volumes, areas, lengths, and the number of objects. Simple examples are:

• Volume of aggregate used in a construction.
• Area of a wetland covered by year round water
• Length of twigs within reach of deer
• Number of cells affected by a virus

Each of these examples comes from a different field using stereology. The volume example comes from the study of concrete. Suppose that a dam is built and there is a requirement that all portions of the poured concrete have to have a certain amount of additives mixed with the cement. Cores can be drilled from various areas and studied. The cores can be refilled with concrete. The area example comes from ecology. A wet area can have very complicated waters with ponds that are interconnected with many streams. Figuring out the amount of land covered by permanent water can be tricky unless stereology is used. The amount of deer forage is of interest in wildlife management. Deer are browsers and consume twigs. The amount of forage is the same as calculating how many twig length is in reach of the deer. One of the main applications of stereology today is the study of cells and counting cells. This seems like a simple thing to do. All of us have counted since we were very young. Counting cells is not that easy, but solutions have been worked out by stereologists.

If you want to learn more about stereology, here are a few upcoming classes and workshops in stereology.

The last two classes were held in the fall immediately preceding the Neuroscience meeting.

• Atlanta, Georgia 2006
• Manassas, VA 2005

The next class will be held immediately before the Neuroscience meeting the fall of 2007 in San Diego, California. If you are interested in attending the class please keep your travel arrangements open. As soon as possible the location, and exact dates will be provided on this website.

The upcoming class in San Diego is a hands-on course in design-based stereology complete with:

• presentations
• exercises
• demonstrations of a stereology system.

The class is structured towards the participant. This means that you bring your problems with you, and share them with the instructors. The goal is that you leave the class with a good idea of how to proceed with your work. Here are the dates for this class.

Stereology Course 2007 October 30 to November 2, 2007 Society for Neuroscience meeting is November 3 to 7, 2006 San Diego, California

Who should attend the class?

• Anyone attending the Neuroscience meeting
• Anyone that needs to be introduced to the concepts of stereology
• Anyone who wants to rejuvenate their stereology skills.

The instructors for the course will be:

Jens Nyengaard Hans Joergen Gundersen Bente Pakkenberg

These instructors have taught many classes, both here and in Europe, and are always interested in making sure that you learn as much as possible. The course covers a wide range of material that is adjusted to the needs of the participants. At a minimum the class covers the following units of instruction:

• Cavalieri estimator for volume estimation (point counting)
• optical fractionator and physical disector for population estimation
• nucleator for cell volume estimation
• cycloids for length and surface estimation
• basic calculations

In addition, the class also discusses related material such as:

• tissue preparation
• sectioning
• other probes and estimators

The general instruction format is to alternate formal lectures with hands-on activities. Early on, participants have the opportunity to present their own research. This allows the instructors to adjust the content of the workshop to the specific needs of the participants.

The class is limited to 25 participants to ensure that each participant has ample time to ask questions directly related to their own research. Time is set aside in the environment of the workshop to discuss ideas amongst the participants. Time is also set aside for meetings with the instructors for a more focused discussion of your needs.

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