Ever wonder what’s happening in the classroom down the hall or the lab two buildings over? We do too, and we’re doing something about it.

The A&S communications team is making its way across the College, into labs, offices, archives and classrooms, to meet our accomplished colleagues and introduce them to you. With hundreds of faculty and staff across dozens of departments and centers, there’s no shortage of remarkable people and projects to discover.

Where we visited: The Blatt BioImaging Center, located within the Department of Biology in the Life Sciences Complex.

Our tour was hosted by Abrar (Abbi) Adnan Aljiboury, Technical Director of the Blatt BioImaging Center. Aljiboury earned a Ph.D., master’s and bachelor’s degrees in biology at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences and now teaches microscopy courses for undergraduate and graduate students. In addition to guiding students in the classroom, she trains scientists and researchers in the use of advanced microscopy technologies to answer complex experimental questions. Beyond campus, she also shares her expertise as a volunteer with the Westcott After School Program, bringing science into the broader community.

About the center: The Blatt BioImaging Center is a light microscopy core facility focused on live-cell and enhanced-resolution imaging. They specialize in visualizing biological processes as they unfold in real time. Researchers can image anything from individual cells to organoids and even whole organisms. Spread across the second and third floors of the Life Sciences Complex (rooms 249, 259, 359 and 318), the facility houses six imaging systems and a powerful 3D/4D image visualization and analysis workstation. The microscope systems include state-of-the-art confocal microscopes, high-resolution bright-field imaging systems and basic fluorescence systems for routine imaging.

The center’s resources and services are open not only to Syracuse University students, staff and faculty, but also to external investigators from academic institutions and commercial enterprises across the Upstate New York region, fostering collaboration and innovation well beyond campus.

For information on how to reserve an instrument, visit the Blatt BioImaging Center website.

What we found: From powerful confocal microscopes to sophisticated imaging systems capable of capturing fine cellular detail, the Blatt BioImaging Center offers the tools researchers need to explore biological questions with precision and clarity. Walking through the space highlighted just how important advanced imaging is to modern biomedical research and how much expertise goes into helping scientists get the most from these technologies.

The A&S communications team spotlights faces and spaces across the College. Where should we visit next? What faculty or staff member do you think your colleagues should read about? Reach out through our contact form for consideration.