Exchange of Experience Program

Last Updated – March 2024

Overview | Types of EoEs: Virtual, Pop-Up, One-on-One | Quotes

Overview

BINA offers three types of ‘Exchange of Experience’ opportunities (EoE), one which is virtual and free for anyone to participate, and two that involve in person visits to imaging facilities. For in-person EoEs, BINA will provide financial assistance for North American members working in Canada, Mexico and the United States to participate in visits with peer imaging facilities to learn new techniques, develop or expand management skills, and/or image data management and analysis skills. In rare circumstances, BINA may support members not working in Canada, Mexico or the United States who are members of other international bioimaging networks (e.g. Latin America BioImaging, African BioImaging Consortium), to visit Canada/US/Mexico-based peer imaging facilities to learn new techniques, develop or expand management, and/or image data management and analysis skills. While preference for financial support through this program will be given to imaging core facility professionals and those interested in a career in these facilities, other BINA members are also encouraged to participate in the program, accepting that their applications may be ranked lower in priority if funds are limited.

NOTE: under this Exchange of Experience (EoE) program BINA will reimburse pre-approved travel and/or accommodation expenses related directly to the EoE visit ONLY. In order to be eligible for reimbursement these expenses need to comply with the BINA Travel Guidance & Expense Reimbursement guidelines set forth in this document.

Types of BINA Exchange of Experience

1. Virtual Group EoE

Virtual EoEs are facilitated by the BINA Training and Education Working Group and have been occurring monthly by Zoom since January 2022. They are FREE and open to anyone. The virtual EoEs provide an opportunity for core facility professionals at all levels to engage in an hour long discussion around topics of mutual interest. Participants can influence the topic of future discussions by bringing up ideas during the event. You do not need to be a BINA member to attend, but one-time registration is required – Register here!

Registering for a Virtual EoE does not automatically enroll you as a BINA member. We strongly encourage you to become a BINA member – it is free and you can join here

2. In-person Group EoE/ “Pop-Up EoE”

In general the Pop-Up EoEs coincide with events that large numbers of bioimaging scientists attend and provide an opportunity for small groups of these individuals to tour a peer imaging facility local to the event and spend a short time (half a day to a day) learning new techniques, developing or expanding management and or image data management and analysis skills. This program is still in its early stages with the first roll out having been held in Boston facilities after the BINA Community Congress in October 2022. Feedback from participants in that pilot was very positive and we received suggestions for potential meetings in 2023, to organize Pop-Up EoE opportunities around. If you are planning to attend any of the events listed below in 2024 and would be interested in visiting a peer imaging facility in the local area for one of these small group EoEs, please contact us at contact@bioimagingna.org.

Potential events/sites for Pop-Up EoE in 2024

Pop-Up EoEs, Sept 27 after BINA 2024 Community Congress, Madison WI

3. In-person one-on-one EoE (pilot phase)

This program is intended to facilitate in-person visits to host-facilities that occur over multiple days (3-5 days) by providing logistical and financial support. The program is still ‘in development’ with a handful of pilot exchanges having been completed at the end of 2022. Based on feedback from these initial pilots these one-on-one, extended visit exchanges are being rolled out more formally over the course of the coming year. Requests for assistance with a one-on-one in-person EoE can be initiated in a number of ways:

Case 1: An individual member already has identified a facility they wish to visit for the purpose of expanding their knowledge around a particular technique, facility management skill and/or image data management and analysis skills. They reach out to the leader of the facility to arrange a visit and contact BINA once the facility director has indicated a willingness to host their visit.
Case 2. An individual has the need/desire to expand their knowledge around a particular technique, facility management and or image data management and analysis skills, but do not know of a facility offering this experience. These individuals would first search the BINA Core facilities page to identify a facility participating in the EoE program with technology of interest. They then reach out directly to the facility contact and follow the steps outlined in 1 above. If they do not find a facility offering the training they are searching for, then they should reach out directly to the BINA admin team at contact@bioimagingna.org with their specific need and the team will work to identify a facility with them.

Once an agreement has been reached between the individual and the host core, the individual will then share the details of the proposed visit by completing this online application form. To help with completing the form you can view this document, to learn more about the information that will be needed. Once the online form is completed, the submission will be reviewed and applicants provided with a response within 20 business days of submission (~1 month). Please reach out to contact@bioimagingna.org at any time if you have questions.

Are you interested in hosting an EoE?

If you are a North American BINA member with a technology or expertise that you are willing to share with others through one of these exchange of experience activities, please ensure your facility is listed on the BINA Core Facility page. If it is listed but you wish to update your profile indicating a willingness to host an Exchange of Experience, please do so using the Edit your Facility button at the top right. If you have any questions about the program don’t hesitate to reach out to us contact@bioimagingna.org.

Quotes from Past Exchange of Experience Participants:

“Wonderful experience! Thank you so much for organizing!” ~Anonymous, PoP-Up EoE participant
“Thank you for an amazing two days!” ~Anonymous, PoP-Up EoE participant
“This was a wonderful experience and I really appreciate the organizing staff for their thoroughness and thoughtfulness.” ~Anonymous, PoP-Up EoE participant
“It was an amazing experience and I am very grateful for being part of this community. I learned a lot, not only during the conference, but watching [the communications] and logistics.” ~Anonymous, PoP-Up EoE participant
“The BINA Exchange of Experience Program is an incredible addition to the imaging community. It is not possible to quantify the collective knowledge of imaging scientists as their responsibilities extend far beyond normal scientific measures. Such information can only be transmitted through one-on-one and community congresses that are not typically supported by grant mechanisms and academic institutions. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to listen, learn, and exchange ideas with this community and am inspired to promote information exchange in the area of imaging science.” ~Anonymous, In Person One on One EoE participant
“What a great experience I was in MBL together with imaging scientists! For me, our hub and the projects we have in Lightsheet microscopy in Sud America, was a tremendous impulse to offer best knowledge and service to the current and future users in Lightsheet microscopy.” ~Anonymous, In Person One on One EoE participant
“MLMC Train-the-Trainer gave me not only a good methodology to teach microscopy but also skills to improve my teaching.” ~Élida Gastélum Martínez, In Person One on One EoE participant
“Having two colleagues from different microscopy facilities visit my platform and discussing each of our experiences and best practices was a wonderful way to strengthen our networks. We were quite literally exchanging.” ~Anonymous, In Person One on One EoE Host
“This program was my springboard to visit one of the Core Facilities I found most desirable and personally interesting. It allowed me to use a microscope that is not accessible in my Core Facility or anywhere in Mexico. This program enabled me to use, test, and gain confidence with a STED microscope at ABIF at McGill University. Additionally, these experiences provided me with a great opportunity to improve my English, network with staff members, and share experiences within the bioimaging community across the Americas.” ~ Alexis Ricardo Becerril Cuevas, In Person One on One EoE participant.
“This exchange was an inspiring and rewarding experience that reinforced my motivation for my research and provided me with valuable technical knowledge. I also established connections with individuals for future collaborations.” ~Anonymous, In Person One on One EoE participant