We in the Flow Cytometry community owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Robinson and his staff for maintaining this web page as an invaluable tool to the practice of both clinical and research flow cytometry. Its value cannot be over stated and should be considered precious. My own initiation into this arcane field will serve as an example of what I mean. I came into the field in 1989. As a med tech whose primary experience was in hematology, the jump from Coulter counters (a type of flow cytometer) to an Ortho Spectrum 3 was going to be comparatively easy, or so I thought. The problem was that at my place of employ there was virtually no one who knew much about flow theory, much less the particulars of this behemoth of an instrument. Add to this the complexity of immunology and the CD nomenclature , I have to say with all honesty that I was fairly lost in my first few years in flow. But I asked questions where I could, did a lot of reading (thanks Howard, your book was also invaluable), and stuck to it. Eventually, I began getting more proficient in flow. My learning curve continued to grow when a new lab director, who had the vision and funds, got me a new FACScan. This was about 1992. At about the same time, as I made more connections in the field (sale reps, service reps, training in Manchester), I heard about the Purdue web site. It was a god send. From that day forward, I have used the web site as a source of information and insight. I've learned a great deal just subscribing to and browsing the email list. Since then I have been fortunate enough to have attended several flow meetings. The most memorable one continues to be the 96' Charleston meeting. As I attended these meetings and expanded my connections in the field (I was a founding member of NIAID's Flow Operators Users Group), one thing became very clear to me: the folks in the flow community are like no others in the greater scientific community. Above all else, flow cytometrists are approachable! They are also knowledgeable and willing to share that knowledge with others, especially new comers to the field. Being "only" a med tech, I cannot tell you how important that openness, uniqueness, and approachability has been to my growth in and, yes, my love of the field. And the Purdue web site has been right at the center of keeping this an open and approachable community. Where else can one ask a question and reasonably expect to get an answer from someone who very well might be one of the very top people in their field----- world wide? (In this way, this web site can be thought of as a PUBLIC Rolodex.) What other community has a resident songwriter who waxes poetic (all right, maybe poetic is too strong a word!) about technology. And although I agree with Waxy when he says " the forum is not the place to get a basic training in flow," its important to temper this judgement with understanding and patience. Nothing would turn off new comers to the field more quickly than if this became an elitist forum, only maintained for and used by the initiated. Right now we are looking for 2 qualified cytometrists to work in our labs, one with sort experience. I can assure you, there aren't many out there. We need to do all we can to keep people interested in and looking to flow cytometry as a great field to work in; not as a field filled with people who breath rarified air! Finally, what prompted this "outburst of sentimentality and hyperbole" was the thread about Paul's "harshness." I for one did not interpret his words as particularly harsh but rather as a tad misguided and certainly impromptu. I laude him and his staff for seeing that his statement might have been perceived as harsh and for quickly owning up to that perception. Its a prime example of what I have tried to convey about the uniqueness and approachability of the flow cytometry community. Thanks Paul to you and your staff for all your hard work keeping this forum alive. In an often uncivilized and truly harsh world, we have here a small corner of the world where people continue to show that we can all work together. And, so, to those who celebrate the tradition MERRY CHRISTMAS! And to all of you HAPPY NEW YEAR! May 2002 bring Peace on Earth. More forums like ours would go a long way toward this long held goal (dream?) for all human kind. Fred Menendez Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Flow Cytometry Core Laboratory Baltimore, Maryland
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