Dear Colleagues,

We write to share exciting news about a new initiative called the PAIR-UP Imaging Science Program for Black imaging scientists. We invite you to become a member of PAIR-UP.

PAIR-UP was founded in 2020 and is funded by a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB).  We are a coalition of Black scientists that use imaging techniques.

It is free to join. Program activities and research opportunities will be shared with all who register forPAIR-UP.  There are two member categories (1) Black scientists who use/develop imaging systems and process/analyzes images to extract information or (2) individuals who support the goals of PAIR-UP to advance imaging research.

The mission of PAIR-UP is to advance the careers of Blacks in Bioimaging. PAIR-UP offers (a) imaging workshops, (b) research funds for novel, collaborative research projects using advanced imaging techniques, and (c) professional development workshops to improve the work environment for Black research scientists with faculty appointments at historically White institutions. We want Black research scientists to join as well as other individuals who support the goals of the program.

We define Imaging Science as an interdisciplinary academic discipline that includes the design and optimization of imaging systems (microscopes) and the extraction of information from digital images. Imaging science spans multiple traditional disciplines including biology, chemistry, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science, as well as physics and applied mathematics.

A full calendar of events is planned for the coming months. A PAIR-UP imaging workshop will be held at Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN in May 2022. Other events are planned for this year including a PAIR-UP scientific meeting at ASCB Headquarters in July 2022 to establish Peer Imaging Clusters (PICs) and aPAIR-UP imaging workshop on Deep Learning/Artificial Intelligence in September 2022.

Don’t delay. Join PAIR-UP today. Click on the “Join PAIR-UP Now” button to go to the PAIR-UPregistration page. You do not need to be a paid member of ASCB to join. Create an account at the ASCB sign-in page and complete the PAIR-UP registration form. Announcements of funding opportunities and program activities will be sent to all PAIR-UP members.  

We look forward to working with you as part of PAIR-UP.