Motivation

Most of the data in modern biomedical research comes in the form of digital images. Corner stone technologies in biomedical research such as light and electron microscopy, medical imaging, photography as well as biochemistry produce digital images as a primary information output. Furthermore, images obtained by any of the methods are not a final result. The final result needs to be extracted from the image in form of a number. In order to fully engage in biomedical research, plan and execute experiments as well as to be able to evaluate the work of other scientists one needs to understand the basic concepts in digital image handling and processes employed to extract numbers from images.

Moreover, there is a fear that intense publication-centric culture together with the seemingly easy-to-use image manipulation software and artificial intelligence, will lead to unethical practices and carelessness to get a publication. This will ultimately degrade the scientific activity leading to the "reproducibility crisis" and public mistrust.

In addition, the lack of digital image understanding can lead to accidental unethical image manipulation and scientific misconduct with devastating consequences for all parties involved, from students and PIs to universities and organizations. Therefore, understanding digital image data is an essential knowledge with which all generations of scientists need to be equipped in order to achieve maximum potential in biomedical research and create knowledge for the better society.

Goal

The course aims to introduce fundamental concepts in digital image handling and analysis, emphasizing the importance of ethical standards in image manipulation to ensure accurate conclusions and prevent potential misconduct investigations and paper retractions. Practical guidelines will be provided on preparing imaging data for analysis and publication. The workshop is tailored for life science researchers at all career stages, including PhD students, Postdocs, and PIs.

The workshop will span two days. On the second day, speakers will illustrate fundamental concepts and software through practical examples. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops, though it is not compulsory. The content of the second day is designed to be accessible even without personal laptops.

You can find the program here.

Registration

The number of participants is limited and on first-come-first-served basis. The registration deadline is 22.11.2024. 

You can register here (or by clicking on the red "Register" button in the top right corner) free of charge.

The workshop is co-organised by the Center for Integrative Infectious Diseases Research (CIID), German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), University Hospital Heidelberg together with the Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH).