bioephemera

For all my microbiology/cell biology peeps, this could be a neat opportunity. ASCB has obtained a two-year stimulus grant from NIH to assemble an image library of the cell. According to Caroline Kane, project PI and professor emerita at UC-Berkeley (and a wonderful person/mentor),

"By visualizing the structure and dynamic behavior of a broad range of cells, scientists and clinicians will be better able to understand the nature of specific cells and cellular processes normal and abnormal. This will likely lead to new discoveries about diseases and drug targets in the future," Kane added. "I'm hoping that teachers and the general public will find the resource illuminating as well." (source-pdf)

They're hiring eight cell biologists or microscopists for part-time telework annotator positions, which will involve selecting and describing images for the library. While this sounds like it will involve a bit of (virtual) paper-pushing, it could also be a great chance to get involved in creating a substantial bioimagery resource for both the scientific community and (I hope) the public. Details after the fold!

The ASCB is pleased to announce the receipt of a U.S. National Institutes of Health Grand Opportunities grant to build The Cell: An Image Library. The ASCB will be hiring eight cell biologists or microscopists, each at 25% time, beginning this fall, to assist in the development of an extensive online library. These offsite annotators are not required to relocate to the ASCB offices and can do their work anywhere in the world. Access to the Internet and email is required. Compensation will be provided.

Position Requirements

Annotators must be cell biologists or microscopists familiar with a variety of imaging techniques (e.g., LM, transmitted light, epifluorescence, polarization, EM transmitted, back-scattered SEM, EDAX), as well as image analysis and processing, such as background subtraction, low-pass noise filter, 3D-deconvolution. Candidates must have expertise in different aspects of cell biology as well as experience in evaluating image and video quality.

Job Description

Each annotator will be responsible for selecting exemplary images and videos and providing metadata for short tags or descriptions as well as longer annotations including technical details crucial for image interpretations. Annotators will select related key words and note biological source, context, item type, etc., in accordance with set guidelines. Annotators will upload images and videos to the Society's new image library for research and education.

Deadline for Applications

Applications can be found on the ASCB website. Completed applications should be submitted by October 30, 2009.

Selection

Annotators selected for interviews will be notified in November and expected to attend a three-day training in Bethesda, MD, USA, in January 2010. Expenses will be covered.