Scientists get hands-on experience with cryo-EM data tools at U-M workshop

Thirty-five academic and industry scientists from across the country got hands-on experience with the latest cryo-electron microscopy image processing tools at a workshop this week led by the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute.

Many participants — who were joined by about 20 scientists and trainees from U-M — brought their own data to crunch as they learned to use common software tools including cisTEM, cryoSPARC, RELION and Rosetta from experts in the field. The event was co-sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

“This may have been one of the largest concurrent cryo-EM endeavors anywhere,” says co-organizer Michael Cianfrocco, Ph.D., a faculty member at the LSI. “Behind the scenes, we were working with 180 GPUs, 2880 CPUs, and 200 terabytes of data across 45 machines.”

Co-organizer Melanie Ohi, Ph.D., also of the LSI, adds, “The participants were really able to roll up their sleeves and learn these key software tools in a supported way. We’re hoping to organize more events like this in the future.”

Check out highlights from the workshop on Twitter.