Flow Imaging Microscopy Blog

Check out some of our upcoming trade show and conference appearances - we hope we'll see you there! (Stay tuned for a separate list of Aquatic Research and Drinking Water appearances):

October 15-16: National Association of Printer Ink Manufacturers' NPIRI Fall Technical Conference

October 22-24: Chem Show

November 3-6: AAPS (American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists) 2019 PharmSci 360

December 17-18: SCC (Society of Cosmetic Chemists) 72nd Annual Scientific Meeting & Technology Showcase

Read on to learn more!

Cardiovascular implants, such as drug coated balloons or drug eluting stents used to treat coronary artery disease are subject to rigorous testing for safety. The assessment of particles released from such devices is essential in the approval of these types of coated medical devices because particles released into the blood stream can increase the risk of emboli. In this study the FlowCam was used to count and analyze particles collected during simulated tests, and these results were compared to light obscuration particle counting.
Pictured at right, FlowCam images with different threshold values.

For six days every spring, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences hosts 16 high school students (one from each Maine county) in East Boothbay, Maine, as part of the Keller BLOOM educational program. Students get a chance to work alongside research scientists studying marine life in the field and in the laboratory.

In recent years, Bigelow has expanded the BLOOM program to include a second session in August - this time for Middle and High School educators.

As part of our 20^th anniversary celebration, all 30 Fluid Imaging employees traveled together to hand-deliver two new FlowCam instruments to the lab where the FlowCam was invented, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (BLOS) in East Boothbay, Maine.

Contaminates in stormwater runoff that feed into our waterways are a leading cause of environmental pollution. Hydro International (a UK company with a local facility just down the road from Fluid Imaging in Portland, Maine) analyzes the content of stormwater and wastewater in order to provide solutions that
prevent contamination utilizing machinery, cleansers, and filters.

Every summer since 2015 scientists from around the country have come to Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, Maine to be trained in harmful algae taxonomy and identification. This training course project is part of NOAA NCCOS’s Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms (MERHAB) program and is lead by Dr. Michael Lomas.  Bigelow provides the theoretical and hands-on training to our next generation of HAB scientists so that they have the proper tools to effectively and accurately identify HAB species.

Pictured here: phyto- and zooplankton imaged by the FlowCam off the Maine coast

Yesterday Heather Anne Wright and I were invited to join the Friends of Casco Bay on a mission to track down and capture samples of the algae bloom taking place in Casco Bay.  Mike Doan skippered the Baykeeper, while Will Everitt and Ivy Fignoca accompanied the group this afternoon on a ride out to Chebeague Island.

In exciting recent news, Fluid Imaging has entered into an exclusive research agreement with the University of Colorado Boulder to begin a study into the possibilities of automated identification of certain bacterial species, headed by Dr. Theodore Randolph. This study has potentially life-saving implications if proven successful.

Pictured above: Dr. Randolph with his FlowCam at the University of Colorado

Last week we hosted an International Industrial Sales Summit at our headquarters in Scarborough, Maine. We welcomed representatives from distributors located in China, Japan, Korea, Germany, Mexico, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.