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FAQs
Who is eligible to participate?
Any member of a laboratory affiliated with Harvard University / the Harvard Stem Cell Institute / Harvard Medical School who has at least basic knowledge of sterile technique and mammalian cell culture. NOTE: as a general rule, ONLY ONE APPLICANT IS ACCEPTED PER LAB. Trainees are expected to teach their lab mates the hESC culture techniques they learned in the course.
How do I create an account?
Follow the Signup Instructions below, complete the top part of the form, and click the "Create Account" button. Your e-mail will be your login user name.
How much does the course cost?
There is no fee: the Harvard Stem Cell Institute has funded the training through a grant to the CHB hESC core. As noted above, we do expect that applicants trained from a given lab will arrange to train their lab mates in the procedures they have learned.
How long is the course?
One week (4 half-days Mo, Tu, We, Fr)
What topics are covered?
Culture on feeders and feeder-free culture in chemically defined media; mechanical and enzymatic clump passaging; single cell passaging and lentiviral gene transduction; alkaline phosphatase staining and pluripotency marker immunofluorescence; embryoid body formation; feeder cells (MEFs).
I plan to work with IPS cells - should I take the hESC training course?
hIPS cells and hES cells are essentially cultured the same way. This course will teach you how to grow and manipulate these cells.
What happens if a course is oversubscribed?
Multiple factors are taken into consideration, including the timing of your application, PI's HSCI affiliation, and the number of past trainees from the same laboratory. If you are eligible to participate (see above) but did not get into any of the courses you selected you should log in again and select additional course dates.
Why should I choose more than one course?
These courses are in high demand and tend to fill up quickly. Also, in rare occasions, a course may have to be canceled. You should always choose multiple dates (as long as you know they fit your schedule) - you may choose up to 10 dates (you can always have up to 10 active selections). Choose the dates carefully - if you repeatedly decline offers, fail to respond to invitations, or do not show up to a course, you and your lab may be restricted from further enrollment. To avoid that possibility, as soon as you know that you wll be unable to participate in a course for which you have applied, please un-select courses or mark your account as "no longer interested", as appropriate.
Should I choose a course that already has several applicants?
While your chances are best if you select courses when they have less than two applicants, this does not mean you should never choose such a course, for example as a backup. Space may become available if applicants that are ahead of you later choose to un-select the course, decline an invitation, or be invited to and complete an earlier course.
All available courses are full - what should I do?
Choose up to 10 of the least subscribed-to courses that fit your schedule, and keep checking back. We are adding course dates on a regular basis. You may also e-mail Dr. Schlaeger at schlaeger@enders.tch.harvard.edu.
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