VX: 00:02

Welcome to the Microscopists. A bite size bio podcast hosted by Peter O'Toole sponsored by Zeiss Microscopy. Today on the Microscopists.

Peter O'Toole: 00:14

Today on the Microscopists. Louise Cole talks about how it's fungi that got us started off on her biology journey.

Louise Cole: 00:21

I was actually I loved all the mycology, all the fungal biology with, John Webster, who, was the academic and doing a lot of research.

Peter O'Toole: 00:32

The tendency of using microscopes less and less as you become more senior.

Louise Cole: 00:38

I'm very fortunate if I get to sit in a microscope once a fortnight.

Peter O'Toole: 00:46

And what it was like for her when she hit the glass ceiling.

Louise Cole: 00:49

I was at a senior lecturer level, and the and I was told there wasn't there I there wasn't scope for me to go to associate professor or professor, in in my role as a core facility manager, where even though I was successful in in getting, philanthropic or external funding.

Peter O'Toole: 01:14

All in this episode of The Microscopists. Hi. I'm Pietro Toole from the University of York, and welcome to this episode of The Microscopist with Louise Cole from University of Technology in Sydney. Good good morning. Good evening.

Peter O'Toole: 01:30

Hi, Louise. How are you?

Louise Cole: 01:31

Good evening. Good morning. I'm good. How are you?

Peter O'Toole: 01:34

I'm good. Thank you. So actually you you're quite a good guest at it, actually, to have on this for many reasons. Because you've obviously gone through an academic route, moved into the world of facilities. You're going on to do a lot of charity work, with with Australian microscopy and microanalysis.

Peter O'Toole: 01:52

So it's quite a lot of ground to cover, and I think it'll be good for the listeners and viewers to actually hear how that career's changed, evolved. I think there's actually quite a lot of evolution we'll talk about throughout today's talk. But firstly, currently, I I don't know the answer to this. How big is your facility?

Louise Cole: 02:09

How big? In terms that we have 10 microscopes, optical microscopes, and we have about a 175 users a year, and 2 2 staff.

Peter O'Toole: 02:21

So you've got 10 microscopes, all light microscopes or semi electron microscopes?

Louise Cole: 02:27

Yes. No. All optical. There is a electron microscope facility and that's the microstructural analysis unit. And that's really focuses on material science.

Louise Cole: 02:38

So not really biological at all. Mhmm.

Peter O'Toole: 02:42

Okay. Because I from your background, you're definitely someone who spans both light and electron microscopy. And this okay. There's a growing plan market. I I can think of some very good examples of people who do light and electron microscopy, but there's not many that span those two technologies.

Louise Cole: 03:02

No. No. Yeah. My background so I started off as an electron microscopist, and that's how I was trained. And, and and I still have a huge passion for, electron microscopy.

Louise Cole: 03:16

And, but in terms of when I started working in a core facility, it was light and laser areas. So and that was at Sydney Uni in what was then called the electron microscope unit. But they they, at the time, they also, had a light and laser, unit with, a multi photon, a couple of confocals, an old MRC 600. That was what I I was actually using that for my own, my own sort of postdoc research. And, so so I entered the lights and laser area, but also I was involved because I I I had an EM background as well.

Louise Cole: 04:02

I also helped set up the, the cryo EM pipeline with a high pressure freezer, and the, the AFS free substitution new unit as well. So I was sort of, helping the, the, biologists prepare their their samples for EM as well.

Peter O'Toole: 04:21

This is cryo EM for not for structural biology type EM, but cryoEM for structures of cells and

Louise Cole: 04:30

Yeah. And membranes. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

Louise Cole: 04:33

Because of the artifacts of chemical fixation, it was really, so, it was really focusing on on, freezing bigger bits of tissue and, and, and then looking at, the preservation of membranes more so. So, and, even though I ended up just managing a core facility, for, with optical microscopes, I actually still love EM, and find a way to, either sit on 1 or or, we've set up we've set up a pipeline for specimen prep for EM, just conventional fix, last year here, in the facility. Because we have, we actually have an we I we also manage an ultra ultra microtone, but nobody really uses it because we don't have that pipeline set up as, properly so that, that biologists can use it. So they tend to, go to another university or somewhere else, or they have a colleague that does the EM side. Because it's quite hard to you do need staff to set that up.

Louise Cole: 05:38

And, and the as I said, the, microstructure analysis unit, they're used to material samples. So they're they don't really don't know what to do with biological specimens. But, so I'm working on that. That's still work in progress.

Peter O'Toole: 05:52

So so we've got the EM and the LM. But, actually, for the we we've just we've just lost our TEM thanks to, minor water.

Louise Cole: 06:02

Oh, no. In ingress.

Peter O'Toole: 06:04

Well, we didn't actually ingress. It was just, just colonnaded out inside it as we over it got overchilled. But, actually, we're using our NanoCentre, which is more materials focused because they have some excellent TEMs. So, actually, for our use, we can prep and take samples there. We've got for structural biology it's it's interesting the cryo EM.

Peter O'Toole: 06:25

Now if you say cryo EM, most people jump down the structural biology route rather than the sort of 3 d volume or preservation of large structures as a biology classic biologist would use cryo EM. It's hard to I I I don't worked out the best way to word it. I I always call structural cryo EM or cryo sem or cryo 10.

Louise Cole: 06:49

It's it's not easy. I know.

Louise Cole: 06:51

It's a whole new whole new language. Yeah. And, yeah, and it's amazing what you can do now with, with serial block face SEM. We don't we don't have one here. There's one at Sydney Uni.

Louise Cole: 07:01

But in terms of getting your volume EM as well, they're they're pretty amazing. Yeah.

Peter O'Toole: 07:06

The message is arriving in a month after its time.

Louise Cole: 07:10

I didn't know that was Yes.

Peter O'Toole: 07:13

It's a, Zeiss Gemini 460.

Louise Cole: 07:16

Oh fantastic.

Peter O'Toole: 07:17

Yeah. The team are excited by that one. Anyway, I presume your first confocal wipescope then. Was that the MRC 600, or did you use one before that?

Louise Cole: 07:29

So I did use one, at, Oxygenie, and that was basically one of the earlier models of Bio Rad. It wasn't a commercial. They were building them there when Mark Fricker was there. And so my previous supervisor, Chris Hall, has promised me a confocal. So I was working with him, doing a master's at in plant sciences in South South Park Road in Oxford.

Louise Cole: 08:03

And I followed him up up the hill, literally up the hill, up to Oxford Brookes unit University when he got a professorship up there. And I followed him up there. And he, and I ended up doing a PhD with him. And he promised me a confocal microscope when I was so that's why I I came back from overseas travels to do a PhD with him. And, and the day I submitted my PhD, he willed his confocal in.

Louise Cole: 08:32

So never quite forgiven him

Louise Cole: 08:34

for that. So because it took

Louise Cole: 08:36

him a while to get funding for the confocal, of course.

Louise Cole: 08:39

Yeah. And

Louise Cole: 08:40

he as ICE confocal. So, yeah. So I've never, yeah, so the very first one that I used spent quite a bit of time on was the MRC 600.

Peter O'Toole: 08:51

So you actually sent a picture of Chris.

Louise Cole: 08:55

Oh, I just Yeah.

Peter O'Toole: 08:57

Quite tired of it as well. So I I was I take it he was visiting you or you visiting him at this point?

Louise Cole: 09:02

That's that's his cottage. I'm just outside Alstwick. So, and that was the time, that was the botanical microscopy meeting. That was I came back for FOM in London. So, and, yeah.

Louise Cole: 09:20

And then and, went to the botanical, microscopy meeting for a bit and then spent some time with him as well. And he, he was really retiring at that stage. So, stood in the same cottage with his partner, Kaye, and their huge Newfoundland dog. So, so it's always lovely to go it's always lovely to go and visit him.

Peter O'Toole: 09:41

And you know, because actually one of my staff, Claire Steele King, was also a graduate out of Chris' lab. So he's

Louise Cole: 09:48

Absolutely.

Peter O'Toole: 09:49

And there's there's a few others, to Chris's lab. We keep bumping into, oh, yes. Chris. So he's And every year was huge.

Louise Cole: 09:56

Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. I think it was the, the good, curry parties, and maybe the jam donuts for birthdays. I it was a fun place to work.

Louise Cole: 10:09

And he's amazing, amazing supervisor who was more like a a a brother really than, yeah. So yeah. So I still, yeah, I still, I'm still very much inspired by him. He used to come once a week into the into the lab, and he would put his hands on my shoulders and say, you know, what's new? He So, and so I remember I remember that quite vividly.

Louise Cole: 10:36

So I'd I would want to, get some data to show him from 1 week to the next. So, yeah. Because he was so, so, so lovely. But if he ever tried to do an experiment himself, everyone just sort of ran a mile because he was crazy in the lab. You know, when you don't you haven't done experiments for years?

Louise Cole: 10:56

I'd be the same now, and you'd go back, and you'd want to do do some fixation or something like that. So then it would be, yeah. It would you don't wouldn't want him contaminating any of our our buffers or anything like that. So that's quite funny.

Peter O'Toole: 11:12

He was, yeah. And Chris was obviously a big influence of the role of Stockton Society as well. And I don't know if you had much did you have much involvement with the RMS back then when you were in the UK?

Louise Cole: 11:24

So we did a lot actually, because he he would often go down the hill to the office, the RMS office. Mhmm. And I tag along. So, I mean, it was like, you know, one of I mean, this might sound a bit odd, but I one of Chris's, you know, girls. We were very happy to go along and help.

Louise Cole: 11:43

So,

Louise Cole: 11:45

and

Louise Cole: 11:46

and because we host he we hosted the botanical microscopy meeting as well. That was I think that was the 5th one, mid nineties. We, you know, we were all involved in organizing that conference. I had to design a little badge, for the RMS and and also the t shirt for the 5th botanical microscopy. I think I sent you a photo of that.

Louise Cole: 12:09

I was modeling. Yeah.

Louise Cole: 12:10

That's what

Peter O'Toole: 12:11

it is. I I have no idea what the picture was of. It just said RMS poster girl. I thought I have no idea.

Louise Cole: 12:17

Yeah. I know. So that was I designed that for the RMS, and it's a picture of Robert Hook's net it's a a nettle I think it's the leaf trichomes of a nettle leaf. And he got me to, design the t shirts and model the t shirt. And some people still have their t shirt from that was the mid nineties.

Peter O'Toole: 12:40

Have you still got yours?

Louise Cole: 12:42

No. Unfortunately.

Louise Cole: 12:45

Yeah. You

Peter O'Toole: 12:45

got rid of it now. You got rid of it?

Louise Cole: 12:50

No. I do regret getting rid of it. I don't know where. I mean, it might be at my my parents' house. I don't know.

Louise Cole: 12:55

Because I, yeah, I don't normally throw things out. But that was, yeah, how involved we were with the RMS at the time. We were more than happy to help and, and be involved. And we used to go out to the meetings in London all the time. Though, I don't know if you still have the one day meetings in London anymore.

Peter O'Toole: 13:12

No. No. No. You guys it's and the RMS events revolve quite a lot. Is it that's the environment and everything else.

Louise Cole: 13:19

But they're much bigger. Yes.

Peter O'Toole: 13:21

So there's different meetings. They're generally 2 day meetings. Not all exclusively. There are some ad hoc meetings as well, but the Frontier Bio Imaging, I guess, now has replaced the light microscopy and life science meetings. So you've got Frontier Bio Imaging that come forward.

Peter O'Toole: 13:37

And then you've got the big, MMC's micro science now Micro Science Microscopy Congress, which is now so much bigger.

Louise Cole: 13:44

Yeah. That's a great conference. Yeah. I am. Yeah.

Peter O'Toole: 13:47

Encompassing for all the different science disciplines, life science, all the different life sciences including the plants, microbiology, through to the material side.

Louise Cole: 13:56

Yeah. It's amazing, isn't it? Because they were a one day meeting. All those many, many, many moons ago. And Chris would get a bit annoyed because we'd we'd missed the very last, couple of lectures because we'd we'd go off to the National Gallery to try and get some artistic, you know, influence.

Louise Cole: 14:16

And we'd be back. We'd be back, but we would just have a little side visit. Feeling more inspired and energized from a little diversion.

Peter O'Toole: 14:28

That's why you always went disappearing. So you said that, that you never throw anything away. Does that mean you're a hoarder?

Louise Cole: 14:36

No. I I don't I was going to say I don't tend to, certainly, don't throw any microscopes away or microscope parts away. So you never know when you might need them for something. But maybe I'm I'm more selective at, you know, what I what I what I purchase. And hopefully, I look after it well so that it pass the test of time.

Louise Cole: 15:02

Have you got

Peter O'Toole: 15:02

a big puppet with lots of parts of microscopes?

Louise Cole: 15:07

I do. I have still bits of microscopes on the floor around. Everybody seems to give you them though, don't they? Because they just assume that you need them. And I do say no now to to some microscopes that some little bench top ones because, we don't have the need for those.

Louise Cole: 15:24

We are in, like, an advanced microscopy facilities that we can't. Yeah. So but you never know. What about you?

Peter O'Toole: 15:32

Not so big. We used to keep bits, but I I think we we've started to run out of spaces. A lot of grew and grew and grew, and so then we have to get harder. And we realized that, actually, for the user base, they don't need sort of 10 50 fifties. We need to make sure everything's properly serviced, everything else.

Peter O'Toole: 15:52

So, generally, we're pretty good at moving things on. We do keep some parts, obviously, but we've donated we've donated our LSM 780 to Yobe State University, some Mahmood, Maynard, by our TCI, our TCI over there, with almost bare parts of another system. So we've shredded 1 system in case ours broke because it wasn't supported fully anymore. Then we got a replacement, so we donated that with the spare parts, which is just as well because the laser's just on the blink and they have a whole spare laser. But in defense of size, we also are size.

Peter O'Toole: 16:29

And they said, oh, we we're removing 1 at the moment. We'll send you that laser as well. And then Fantastic. Then my mood is actually carrying that. So they've got another laser now.

Peter O'Toole: 16:41

So it's really good. And but the other systems we quite often actually, through Claire Steele King, did a lot of the initiation or drove forward. We we sell quite a lot of stuff onto Uni Green. Okay. So they they take the equipment and then sell it on to it's like a secondhand or a swatch shop.

Peter O'Toole: 16:59

And, actually, oh gosh. Stewart at work, New Academic, has just bought 2 stunning microscopes The hideously low prices. Really good top dollar microscope. So actually so now we're encouraging everyone to sell more to Uni Green and to buy from Uni Green to make sure it's completely cyclic. And so actually, we don't need to heat the parts, because we know we can go to Unigreens to get spare parts should we run out of them.

Louise Cole: 17:27

Fantastic. I think I'm I need to look into that.

Peter O'Toole: 17:30

Definitely so too. Yeah. Do have a consider. So your facility so we talked about the facility, the first light microscope. That to take you back even further, when you were a child, what was the first job that you can remember wanting to do?

Louise Cole: 17:50

I think I know I wanted to travel. Mhmm. So, so I did. I might be ashamed to admit this. I did want to be an air hostess because I'm that was my gateway to seeing the world.

Louise Cole: 18:06

So wasn't thinking about learning different languages. I was just thinking about how can I get on that plane? So that I know that was I know that was one of the first jobs that I wanted to do. I don't think I took it any seriously sort of after that, but that was, yeah. I just think I just it's I just want wanted to see see the world, and, actually, I still want to see the world.

Louise Cole: 18:32

Mhmm. Do you do you British to start with? Yes. Yes.

Peter O'Toole: 18:36

I am.

Louise Cole: 18:37

I am. I'm still British. Yes. I'm a I'm a permanent resident here, but, you might sound you might hear a Aussie accent. So There's

Peter O'Toole: 18:45

an Aussie trang in there.

Louise Cole: 18:46

That's for sure. But I but I think that's the Bristolian in me. I think that's because I'm from the southwest of England, and, Bristolians have that intonation that they they go up at the end of their sentences.

Peter O'Toole: 18:59

Okay.

Louise Cole: 19:00

So which is what Australians do. But, so I go back to obviously, I went back to England recently. And everybody there, mostly most of them said that no. They couldn't hear the Australian, but then now other people can. And then when I speak to Australians here, they they they just say I'm very English.

Louise Cole: 19:19

So I don't mind. I used to say I used to say that, that when my my eldest when my eldest, when he if when he lost his British accent well, because he started even though he was born in Australia, he because he was obviously imitating our accent, so my husband's English as well. So he sounded quite English. And so I thought as soon as he starts sounding Australian, we were gonna pack our bags, and leave. But we're we're still here 27 years later.

Louise Cole: 19:52

So

Peter O'Toole: 19:54

We are Aussie born, Aussie bred.

Louise Cole: 19:57

Yes. Yes. But they they they also have British passports, so they're very, very happy to be British as well. So it's it gives them that freedom.

Peter O'Toole: 20:05

You sent some pictures, so I presume that he's they're they're they're slightly and they're partners, I presume?

Louise Cole: 20:11

Absolutely. So my husband, is there, on on your on your right. That was his 60th birthday last October. And I'm obviously the one with the red shirt. So the Finnegan is in the in the middle.

Louise Cole: 20:24

So he's my eldest, and that's his partner, Nanny. And and then, so Rowan, and, is my my second son. And Angelina is his partner as well. So, actually, we're going for dinner. We're going it's the family dinner.

Louise Cole: 20:42

It's the family dinner season now because it's, we have birthdays in August, September, October, November. So we all go out for a family dinner, and it starts tomorrow night.

Peter O'Toole: 20:53

It starts tomorrow night, did you say?

Louise Cole: 20:54

Starts tomorrow night. Yeah.

Peter O'Toole: 20:55

Okay. What sort of food are you going for?

Louise Cole: 20:59

So tomorrow, we're going for Australian with a French twist.

Louise Cole: 21:04

Okay. I'll

Peter O'Toole: 21:06

take your word for that.

Louise Cole: 21:08

Yep.

Louise Cole: 21:10

I'm trying to think

Peter O'Toole: 21:10

what that could be. Snails on barbecue. I don't know.

Louise Cole: 21:14

I think it's, so it's more French with an Australian twist, I think. I I'm from the menu. I haven't been there before. So it is, a couple of, up and coming, French chefs who, have got quite a big repute growing reputation. And they've taken over a pub, and they've turned it from a gastro pub into a nice restaurant.

Louise Cole: 21:40

So, and when it's your when it's your birthday, it's nice to go for something a bit more fine dining. So it's they have focused more on, using Australian bush foods. So Australian, so lemon myrtle, and, so different yeah. So more Australian herbs and and spices to a French dish, I think. But I I won't know until tomorrow.

Peter O'Toole: 22:07

You book as well, I believe. Because you also sent a load of photos of

Louise Cole: 22:12

I did. I'm so pictures. Yeah. Absolutely. If you look through my phone, it's either pictures of microscopes or, or food that I've baked.

Louise Cole: 22:22

So I am a keen baker, but that's because I don't do experiments anymore. I love to follow I actually follow recipes. And I have I actually have over over a 100 cookbooks. And I have called them recent. That was I I know.

Louise Cole: 22:39

I have called them. I'm quite easy to buy for as a present, so long as you don't buy the same cook book that I've already got. So I do love, having people over for dinner. So that's where I relax, really. I could Saturday, I could spend all day cooking.

Louise Cole: 22:57

The only thing is everyone's on diet, so I'm not doing it less and less now. And the bigger the showstopper dish, the better.

Peter O'Toole: 23:07

So what was your signature dish?

Louise Cole: 23:10

So I think well, there's the ragu behind you, right behind you. Yeah. Yep. And then the bottom left hand corner, that's easy. That's, I always do a ragu, a butter chicken.

Louise Cole: 23:22

For the veggies, I do, there's the falafel, eggplant, Parmesan. And at at the moment, it's because it's winter, it's just a bed a veggie tray bake, you know, with about 10 veg. It's the easiest thing that I that I cook. So, so I do have a bit of a reputation. All my friends do like, you know, to come around.

Louise Cole: 23:44

We're not really allowed to go out for dinner. I I have to cook, but, but time, you know, obviously, sometimes I just don't have the time. Because I do have to take at least, I have to take the day off before to prepare, unless it's on the weekend. It's a foot but and also, I have to prepare the table as well. You know, 2 papercloths, crystal, very grand.

Louise Cole: 24:07

So am I the 100% in or not at all?

Peter O'Toole: 24:10

Okay. And you also do cakes, I presume?

Louise Cole: 24:13

No. That is a that's a, that's actually a one of what I would call a showstopper. That's, a, Iranian dish called a tachin tachin tachin. I don't know if I'm sorry if if I pronounced that. Yeah.

Louise Cole: 24:27

It's a tachin tachin, which means, I think, tachin. So it's, it's so it's inverted. So you it's it's rice, which is baked with saffron, and it's got egg and yogurt, which lines the dish. And then you fill the the well. So you make like a trough, and then you put in the mincemeat, and that's cranberries.

Louise Cole: 24:51

So it's like a Persian dish. And then, you cook it, and then you flip it out. So, yeah. So and, and it freezes really well. So I had to freeze half of that because I doubled the recipe and it was huge.

Peter O'Toole: 25:07

People just not like it and that's why you had so much I'm joking.

Louise Cole: 25:13

They would tell me. They would tell me.

Peter O'Toole: 25:15

I'm joking. So so is it so should we go back to as a child, when you wanted to be an s a stewardess?

Louise Cole: 25:21

I know.

Peter O'Toole: 25:23

So so what got you into science?

Louise Cole: 25:27

So

Louise Cole: 25:28

at school, I was very good at maths and, and I loved, I love biology. And I, and, but I I wasn't sure what I I really didn't know what I wanted to do, and, or study at a level. So and I remember a parent's evening, and I was just copying my friend who who wanted to do business studies. Because I really didn't have didn't know what I wanted to do. And I think, so that was really a pivotal time because the biology teacher said to my parents, she's good at biology.

Louise Cole: 26:06

She should do biology. And I went, alright then. So, yeah, the rest is history. But I I did so I did biology, and maths and chemistry, at at a level. And I did I loved biology, but I didn't like, dissecting the rat at all.

Louise Cole: 26:26

So I, and I loved all the plants. So I, so I ended up studying botany at Exeter University, carrying on working in plants. So I stayed in plants for quite a while.

Peter O'Toole: 26:42

And then over to Oxford for your PhD at that point or masters or PhD?

Louise Cole: 26:46

As I did masters first of all, because so when I finished uni, I was actually I loved all the mycology, all the fungal biology with, John Webster, who, was the academic and doing a lot of research. He wrote a book on fungal biology. And I and that's where I got really became interested in microscopy because obviously there were microscopes in in, in the course that we could use for the practicals. And I would, I was fascinated and I would always so I met my husband at university. He was studying mathematics and he I always would spend the night before the practical reading up on everything so that I could spend as much time enjoying the microscopy.

Louise Cole: 27:31

So he didn't like the fact that I prepared for the practical the day before. So, so I was offered a PhD by John Webster when I finished, my undergraduate, studying aquatic hyphomyces, which are the fungi that live on the foam of rivers. So, which of course we all know about and we know how I mean, they are important, but I decided that I needed a bit of a break. So, so I turned down that PhD to, and, and then took some time off and then applied for a research assistant position working with Chris Horst on an endocytosis implants at Oxford Uni. So that's where my endocytosis, and microscopy journey really began.

Louise Cole: 28:20

So so Chris, was, a Zeiss snob, really, in terms of and I think that, you know, that's a very fond way of of saying that he would he loves Zeiss microscopes and he would only buy sort of a Zeiss microscope. So my first Zeiss, first microscope that I I, for my master's was, was a, an axio phot. An axio phot or axio foe? What how do you as Zeiss.

Peter O'Toole: 28:49

A phospho photobatable.

Louise Cole: 28:51

Yes. I say part too. So that was where so that I used that for, my, fluorescence microscopy of, looking at the uptake of of, elusive yellow or fluorescent dextrans as markers for endocytosis in plants. So and as well as the EM. But I did more EM than than light at the time.

Peter O'Toole: 29:13

I think so. Okay. So what what was your first EM?

Louise Cole: 29:17

So that was a JOL. I can't remember the number, but that was a JOL. Yeah. So so a Joel. So and that that was that was a 10.

Louise Cole: 29:29

Yeah. So Mhmm. Yeah.

Peter O'Toole: 29:31

Yeah. I'm gonna say because this may have been a ZEISS snob, but, actually, like I said, we've got a lot of ZEISS products. But our our TEM was a Thermo, and our SEM was a Joel. And we've had other trucking systems as well. So, actually, we do we do deviate.

Peter O'Toole: 29:49

Know, it's very much

Louise Cole: 29:49

Oh, no. No. I I I

Louise Cole: 29:51

think exactly. Oh, I think Chris was very, he was very happy to admit that. Anyway, so, you know, everyone has their has their favorites, as well. And so, and I think he's he's always had, a good relationship with with the company too. So, but, I mean, I'm, people have favorite cars.

Peter O'Toole: 30:19

Oh, yeah. Actually, we do have the same brand quite often. I wouldn't sell the biggest, but we like the cars. There's just good value. But there you are.

Peter O'Toole: 30:27

Absolutely. I had all the money in the world. Might not be what I had. I might change from what I've got on the drive train.

Louise Cole: 30:36

True. True.

Peter O'Toole: 30:38

So that got you into the microscopy side, and you were through. So why I I guess because you're a lover of travel, but is that what enticed you to Sydney?

Louise Cole: 30:48

So,

Louise Cole: 30:50

so I attended a conference in Vancouver, and oh, here was my

Peter O'Toole: 30:58

Well, Louise's lights in her office have just popped off because of a long time, and she's obviously not moving around enough.

Louise Cole: 31:04

No. No. Of course. So, yes. So yeah.

Louise Cole: 31:10

So there was, a conference in Vancouver, Canada that I, wanted to go to, and that was the International Mycological con Congress in British Columbia. And I again, so going back to Chris, I remember that, he he would not, as a supervisor, did not want to didn't have the money. Well, he said he didn't have the money for me to pay for me to go. So I said, okay. That's alright.

Louise Cole: 31:36

I'm gonna go anyway because I really, really wanted to go. And I hadn't been to that part of the world, this beautiful part of the world, Vancouver. So, but I called that call I called his bluff bluff because he said, okay. I'll pay for you, but he didn't want me to go with my own money. So I met, Anne Ashford, a who, and Bill her partner, Bill Alloway.

Louise Cole: 31:59

And they were working on the pleomorphic vacuoles in a eucalypt mycorrhizal fungus. And they were, so they have these amazing tubular vacuoles, which were responsible for long distance transport. And at the time when I was looking at endocytosis, because we, in plants, I was using a drug called Provenecid, which is used to treat gout. And, and that perturbs the anionic transport system. So, and what what I found at the time with plant cells, that a lot of the probes, the fluorescent dextrans, they weren't they had free fluorescein.

Louise Cole: 32:41

So you would get, premature uptake of the fluoro4 instead of the fluorescent dextran. So it wasn't a great marker for endocytosis, you know, because the dextran part is 70 k. So I, so I was the 1st person to publish this data on Probenecid and how, how it affects the anion transport system. And she was interested in the, so and she was interested in, applying a similar approach in fungal hyphae. So I hadn't quite finished my PhD.

Louise Cole: 33:11

I had another year. Sorry. And so, yeah, I had another year or so to go. And, but she was so she wanted me to do the same experiments on the fungal hyphae. And, so she offered me, a post doc and waited for me to finish.

Louise Cole: 33:34

Oh, that's

Louise Cole: 33:34

so mean. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah.

Louise Cole: 33:37

Yeah. So that's that has actually happened quite a bit in my career trajectory that I have happened to be in the right place or, where I've been offered a position. So I've sort of I didn't map it out. I've just been really fortunate to be connected, or or, it's just yeah. It's more of a timing and having that communication and thinking I'm ready to go or so and that's sort of what's happened.

Louise Cole: 34:08

Or I found a really good lab, and I've waited for them to get money and say, I've told them I'm interested and let me know. And yeah. So, so I came out to Australia in 96 with my so my husband was offered a job in Tokyo, and I was offered a job in Sydney. And I said to him, well, I'm going to Sydney. We'd been to Sydney for 4 days, on our honeymoon.

Louise Cole: 34:38

We'd had sort of done a round the world trip. And, so we knew we liked Sydney. So, so I said and it you know, in hindsight, I don't think I think my my options for work in in Tokyo probably then would have been quite quite different. So, so my husband was fine with it. So I had finished my I had submitted my PhD and within a month, we'd moved to Australia Sydney, Australia.

Louise Cole: 35:06

And the idea was because it was a 3 year post op position. So the idea, so we thought we'd stay for 3 years, stay for the Olympics in 2000, then go back to the UK. So I'm now 28 years into my 3 year plan.

Peter O'Toole: 35:24

And will you ever come back to the UK, or do you think that's it now you're you're staying?

Louise Cole: 35:28

I think the we we've always planned to come back at some stage. We know that. So at the moment, my youngest is, he's going to turn 21 this year. He's got 2 more years of uni. So, the reason to go back is to be closer to family.

Louise Cole: 35:48

So, and but I'm not sure I could cope with the weather.

Louise Cole: 35:53

It's rather high that here.

Peter O'Toole: 35:54

Will your boys come back to the UK?

Louise Cole: 35:58

I think they would like to work in the UK or live in the UK for short periods of time. They do love Australia. So they they do talk about, going to the UK, whether whether they will will will just go back to the UK and and stay, I'm not so sure. Again, I think they they like the weather here.

Peter O'Toole: 36:21

That's tough. You think you're coming back to be close to family, but then if they move back to Australia?

Louise Cole: 36:27

I know. I know. But I think we're more likely to go back before they do.

Peter O'Toole: 36:32

Okay. So you may come back for a short period and then hop back to Australia.

Louise Cole: 36:39

Yes. Exactly. Depending on what they want to do. But at the moment, so we we have a few more a few more years. So but I have I I picked up this, saying from a friend of mine who, who her parents said to her, 24 and out the door, which is, that's when you have to leave home when you're 24.

Louise Cole: 37:03

So I said that a few years ago to my eldest and he moved out when he with his girlfriend when he was 24. So my 20 year old son is knows he's got a few more years yet. And he's got he's got, like, a basement. He's got, like, a man cave, like, almost a granny flat. So he's very comfortable.

Louise Cole: 37:22

And and the cost of living is the cost of living crisis here in in Sydney is crazy.

Peter O'Toole: 37:28

Yeah. Okay. It'll be interesting to see how that pans out in a few years' time. So think of it, so you've got into work in a postdoc in Australia. So you've done the PhD, you've done a postdoc career, but then you moved into facilities at that point?

Louise Cole: 37:47

Yes. Yeah. I loved being a postdoc. I thought I I honestly thought I was going to be an eternal postdoc. I also thought that I did want my own lab, my own research lab at one stage.

Louise Cole: 38:03

But, the it was very difficult to get funding, on in that area of of plant well, plant cell biology. I didn't really have my own research areas, research focus. I did try a couple of times, to try and get some fellowships. So, I when my second child, was born, that's when I decided I needed to do because we don't have any family support here in in Australia. So I decided to do, what a more 9 to 5 job, which wasn't, of course.

Louise Cole: 38:41

It's just it wasn't a 9 to 5 job. So that's when I took over as light laser optics manager at the electron microscope unit in, the University of Sydney. So that's when I went into, yeah, managing, that part, that, the light and optical. So I was there for for 2 years, but I and I had a 100 I was involved in a 100 research projects, across. And so it was very, very busy.

Louise Cole: 39:09

So, and and then I was offered a position at the what's called the Bosch Institute what was called the Bosch Institute at the time in the, the the School of Anatomy and Histology, at the University of Sydney to run the advanced microscopy facility in the Bosch Institute. Now the Bosch Institute was was a was a virtual institute. It, so it was the research arm of the School of Medical Sciences. So, so a colleague of mine at, who who managed the micro CT at the EMU basically said, I think this position would be great for you. And, so yeah.

Louise Cole: 39:53

So I was invited to apply, and then I moved there. And I was there from for 11 years. And I I really was I really built it from the ground up, and that's where, and that's I still remember where I was when I realized I'm not gonna have my own research group. I realized that, that I but I enjoyed learning about other people's projects, other people's science, scientific area that they're researching. And, and I still learn every day from being able to being being involved in those different projects, and training the next generation of microscopes.

Peter O'Toole: 40:33

Hands on are you now?

Louise Cole: 40:37

I, not very hands on. So although because there's only 2 of us, we do have the duty microscopy scheme. So there are 2 days a week when I'm on duty where they are allowed to ring me, and I will go in and sit with them at the microscope. Mhmm. So we do have that.

Louise Cole: 40:58

I, I'm very fortunate if I get to sit at a microscope once a fortnight. But, and, and when I left the Bosch Institute, I actually said to, the the COO at the time, I said, I need a t shirt to say a good day is a day at the microscope. So because that's where I'm really I'm happiest. So but I I don't get much time at the microscope anymore with everything else.

Peter O'Toole: 41:28

You want more?

Louise Cole: 41:33

Yes. I do. I do. I I really enjoy it. So so when because there's only 2 of us managing the facility, if, aim so Amy Bottom Bottomley, she's the imaging scientist that supports so I'm the facility manager and the director.

Louise Cole: 41:49

So I have I have 2 jobs. And so when she's away, then I get to do her job as well. So then I have 3 jobs. And that's when I get to sit at the microscope with the user. So I will do training if if, if I can.

Peter O'Toole: 42:04

So you've got 2 jobs, 3rd job, but we haven't touched you are now president, hello fellow president, of the Australian Microsphere Microanalysis Society, which you sent another picture of

Louise Cole: 42:19

Yes. NEST.

Peter O'Toole: 42:22

I don't know what the award is at the top of my shoulder.

Louise Cole: 42:26

That's the David Cocaine award. Who was, the previous, director of, the EMU, at Sydney Uni. So, yes. So we have a number of awards within the society for either for, for research or or service or special awards for contributions

Peter O'Toole: 42:46

Mhmm.

Louise Cole: 42:46

To the advancement of of microscopy. So and, yeah. So Nestor was awarded that, so in in in Perth at our last, big national meeting. So

Peter O'Toole: 43:00

Yeah. How how do you find the time to do that? And your other 3 jobs?

Louise Cole: 43:08

So usually we get weekends. Usually weekends is when my, when I put my AMS hat on and and and do those those duties. So but I really do enjoy it. So the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Society is it you know, it's a wonderful community. So the one of the re I was president of the Light Microscopy Australia before I I I I became the the AMS president.

Louise Cole: 43:35

And I think and I, so I'm and I wanted to do it because I really was missing the EM side as well. So because the light microscopy Australia is a special interest group under the parent organization of of the Australian Microanalysis Society. We have other special interest groups as well. So, and, yeah. No.

Louise Cole: 43:59

Well, it's a wonderful community. So, you know, I do I do have to, you know, you have to obviously chair all the meetings as you as you know. But, it's, yeah. I mean, it it's where you can really, you know, work at the the coalface and try and and try and make a difference and, and inspire others. So so, so I I think I'll be doing that for another couple of years anyway.

Peter O'Toole: 44:26

I do notice over your one shoulder what looks like another meth certificate.

Louise Cole: 44:32

It is. It is. So yeah. So I have a certificate of fellowship from because I was involved with the RMS from many years ago. So, so I yeah.

Louise Cole: 44:43

So well spotted. I did blur it. I did wonder whether you'd score

Peter O'Toole: 44:47

the RMS logo is good for me. Even my eyesight, you can see that a mile off.

Louise Cole: 44:52

A bit Yeah. So

Peter O'Toole: 44:54

crystal clear.

Louise Cole: 44:55

Yeah. So when I was with Chris, yeah, he he recommended that I that, that I apply for that. So yeah. So I've got it very proudly there. And actually, I've decided my initial the initials, to my LinkedIn page as well.

Peter O'Toole: 45:09

So we

Louise Cole: 45:10

we should do we should do something similar, for for AMS as well.

Peter O'Toole: 45:15

Yeah. And it's quite good to actually I I know we've been talking outside of this about some of the joint collaborations for the RMS. Because the RMS is there to support internationally as well and some of the things we can do in common. So instead of duplicating efforts, even if it's copying what you're doing, but instead of copying, taking the materials, rolling them out, and we're talking to Laby, as well around those Latin American biometrics. So I think it's nice.

Peter O'Toole: 45:41

I think we're all getting more collaborative now. I think there was a time where actually people became more insular, and I think it's now becoming far more collegiate throughout the different communities. And long may that continue and develop Absolutely.

Louise Cole: 45:57

Yeah. Yeah.

Peter O'Toole: 45:58

And and grow through. Throughout your career, when would you say was the the the best time in your career? If you could relive a moment in your career, what moment would it be?

Louise Cole: 46:13

I think, when I was doing my PhD, the last the last year or so, when when all the data you know, when when all the results are sort of coming together. And, and then Claire was part of that as well. So Claire will remember exactly what that was like. So we had so I was part of a very big group, but a very big family. And I had done enough research in that area that I, was really quite across the, that just the research progress and the knowledge in that field.

Louise Cole: 46:49

So, so I sort of I don't know. I mean, I actually felt quite in invincible, you know? So at the time, because things seem to I remember from my very last chapter, I don't know if you ever met Beatrice Satish or Mitra. She's a Golgi person who, so she managed a core facility in Giraffe. Sorry, this is I apologize to any French speaking person for my pronunciation.

Louise Cole: 47:16

Just outside Paris. So she managed a core facility there for many, many years after, so she was working with Chris Halls at the time. So, and her her partner, had a wine business. So she would come with champagne on a Friday as well. So we knew how to, we knew how to work hard, but we knew how to enjoy ourselves at the same time.

Louise Cole: 47:41

So they were that was really good fun. And I think that's when I thought that I wanted just to be a post doc for the rest of my life because that was fun. Because you didn't have a thesis to to write after that as well. So, I mean, obviously, I did with my PhD. But, yeah.

Peter O'Toole: 47:58

Maybe the best times on the side? What would you say is the most challenging or most difficult time of your careers today?

Louise Cole: 48:07

So I think I think that's when I I had actually had hit that glass ceiling. And so I was working at, so I sort of come to the end of, my time at the at the Bosch Institute. So and this sort of relates to recognition of core facility staff globally because I, so in that role, I I was an academic. So and I don't know how the levels compare in Australia, to to Europe. But, I was at a senior lecturer level.

Louise Cole: 48:54

And the and I was told there wasn't there I there wasn't scope for me to go to associate professor or professor, in in my role as a core facility manager. Where even though I was successful in in getting, philanthropic or external funding, internal funding, publishing papers. So I think that was I was very unhappy for a couple of years, in that in that role because, yeah, I was told that I could and that still happens here. I'm not sure what it's like in Europe. And, so the only way to get some career progression and I still hear it today because because that, was for me to to change and move universities.

Louise Cole: 49:43

And then I went went into associate professor role.

Peter O'Toole: 49:47

So it's not really necessarily an Australian economy. It was a institute problem, probably more than an Australian problem.

Louise Cole: 49:53

Yes. Yeah. And it's and I think it was the recognition of then even though it's understanding the roles of core facility staff, and, you know, and and and I had an academic position, though. I could sort of, so because we have the academic level, and then we have the the technical technical staff. So there's 2 streams here.

Louise Cole: 50:19

So and they are very different the way that you go for promotion.

Peter O'Toole: 50:24

Well, and, I'd say, the UK is is pushing ahead, progressing quite well, but it's still patchy. You know, it's far from perfect. I'm not sure any system's ever perfect for anyone. But it there there are some good examples. York York, we're very fortunate.

Peter O'Toole: 50:36

Always have been very fortunate, but other universities like Liverpool, Warwick, Nottingham are really pushing ahead. Newcastle, actually a very good highlight, are really pushing ahead in these areas as well in the UK, as well as others. But but, yes, it's still patchy, I would say, at that point. So outside of work, so you got that ceiling. You have difficult periods.

Peter O'Toole: 50:56

You mentioned before we started, you've got a microscope that's down at the moment and distressed. What do you do outside of work to de stress? I know this sounds like you sent me some pictures, but go on.

Louise Cole: 51:07

I did. So, I have to go to the gym in the morning just like you do.

Louise Cole: 51:14

I think you're

Peter O'Toole: 51:15

a gym junkie, I think you called it.

Louise Cole: 51:18

I am. I have yeah. But, I didn't really, I was never really in a gym before before I came to UTS. So when I moved from Sydney Uni to UTS, I was really excited because because, so again, this was Cynthia Whitchurch. So I joined the gym with her, which was f 45.

Louise Cole: 51:38

I don't know if you have those in the in the

Peter O'Toole: 51:40

No. I don't know.

Louise Cole: 51:42

Oh, anyway, you don't need to know. And, I joined a coffee club, and a WhatsApp group. So it was it was something that that I didn't have, in my role at Sydney Uni. And I think I cried the very first day I went to the gym. I think I was trying to bench press 3 kilos.

Louise Cole: 52:04

And they got me to jump on a box. And I only about a foot high, but I was too afraid to jump on a box. And, but it didn't take long. So now I go every morning, and it really is my I'm the first out of the house in the morning. And, and it just really helps me, sort of, center myself.

Louise Cole: 52:25

So it might be it might be a strength class, a cardio or, yoga or Pilates. So I can't live without it now. So, yeah. And that's Nancy who was my my personal trainer. She she always gives me heavier heavier weights every time she sees me, which I'm not really happy about.

Peter O'Toole: 52:44

The the info sent. Which I had to put

Louise Cole: 52:47

on? Yes.

Peter O'Toole: 52:48

Position you've called the microscope because you've just inverted yourself to look like an upright microscope.

Louise Cole: 52:54

It's either I Exactly.

Peter O'Toole: 52:55

Inverted yourself to look like an upright, but there you are.

Louise Cole: 53:00

Yes. The inverted microscope. So, so I am actually so that's on my my balcony, at home. And, and I'm training to do, some handstands. So getting used to being inverted.

Peter O'Toole: 53:16

Mhmm.

Louise Cole: 53:17

So, I haven't quite been able to achieve it without the without the training support at the moment. But, yes. To to be upside down for a while is is is, it's, yeah, very, very good for the blood flow.

Peter O'Toole: 53:34

It's actually if if anyone's listening, at this moment, we are I don't know how many minutes into it. 50 minutes in roughly. It's worth just skipping to that bit to see the picture of the inverted microscopy. It's looking like an upright. But I like the fact you also said in the other picture, and this wasn't the title of it, but you've also done the immersion lens,

Louise Cole: 53:53

which was Oh,

Louise Cole: 53:55

yes. Water immersion. Yes. And that's in the same same gym. I mean, I'm I will try anything anything once.

Louise Cole: 54:02

So, yeah. So that's 2 minutes. 2 minutes ice bath. So, which was it's great. It is.

Louise Cole: 54:13

But you do but I did 30 minutes breath work before I went in there, which, so so you're already really, really calm and you know how to to to breathe deeply. So, I recommend it to anybody to try at least at least once. Well, it's cold enough there. You just have to swim in the ocean, don't you?

Peter O'Toole: 54:33

I don't do that. I've just come back off holiday where the sea temperature is 31. It's just about okay. My my swimming pool, it's 28. Any colder, I complain.

Louise Cole: 54:45

No. It was, invigorating. Yes. Highly recommend it.

Peter O'Toole: 54:49

And you also, Van, I presume. This is your

Louise Cole: 54:53

yes. Yeah. So we're very lucky in Sydney because it's, amazing. That's the Harbour Bridge, and that's, just behind the Opera House as well. So I think anyone would run.

Louise Cole: 55:05

So that's on a Saturday morning. If you you forget you're running, actually, you're down there. You forget you're running 10 k, and let your legs hurt because, there's also a seal, a resident seal just over the other side of that fence that you that you get to see a a seal basking on the steps. So, yeah. Highly recommended.

Peter O'Toole: 55:27

Yeah. I remember we stayed in Sydney, but south of the city, and it was very very friendly running actually. I found out. Everyone said hello. And that's not always the case.

Peter O'Toole: 55:35

You look pretty good when you go running. Most people will say hello, good morning. When I ran in Sydney, everyone was really friendly. It's not that's rarely the case in most cities.

Louise Cole: 55:46

I I thought that I

Louise Cole: 55:47

I think that applies to, to to just the Australian way as well. And I really found that when I first arrived. It's it's quite strange when you're in the supermarket, you know, just just buying your supper, and they say, well, how's your day? And they really want to know how your day is. And they'll be there.

Louise Cole: 56:06

There'll be a queue of people behind you, but they really wanna know how your day is, which which wasn't a very when I you know, it wasn't the sort of thing that you would respond to in in England necessarily. You think, why are they asking me about my day? I'm not gonna tell you about

Louise Cole: 56:24

at the very friendly Yeah.

Peter O'Toole: 56:25

In the UK, people would say, you know, all good. How are you? And they don't mean they don't want an answer. No.

Louise Cole: 56:32

They do they do though in Australia.

Louise Cole: 56:34

And it's really They don't

Peter O'Toole: 56:35

do fine. I do this. Right. I'll get some quick fire questions.

Louise Cole: 56:40

Oh, goodness me.

Peter O'Toole: 56:42

The first one, are you an early bird or night owl?

Louise Cole: 56:45

Well, early bird now. Although, I do I'm not very I do go to bed quite late as well, so I don't get a huge amount of sleep. So I I I go both ways, but I have to get up early if I wanna go to the gym.

Peter O'Toole: 56:58

Kinstry or Mac?

Louise Cole: 57:01

Mac.

Peter O'Toole: 57:02

McDonald's or Burger King?

Louise Cole: 57:05

Oh, neither

Louise Cole: 57:08

of the What's your favorite category? We don't have Burger King. We don't have Burger King.

Peter O'Toole: 57:11

What's the baby

Louise Cole: 57:11

cake anyway? We don't have Burger we don't have Burger King here. We have Hungry Jack.

Peter O'Toole: 57:16

Okay. McDonald's or Hungry Jack's?

Louise Cole: 57:21

I'll say Hungry Jack's.

Peter O'Toole: 57:22

Okay. Australia or UK?

Louise Cole: 57:25

Oh, no. Oh, that's really hard. That's a hard one. I have to say UK.

Peter O'Toole: 57:33

Okay. Yeah. There will be Australians listening to this. This is probably our 3rd demographic. Tea or coffee?

Louise Cole: 57:42

Coffee. 100%.

Peter O'Toole: 57:44

0 one.

Louise Cole: 57:47

Or tequila. Mhmm. Margarita is my middle name, so has to be tequila.

Peter O'Toole: 57:54

Chocolate or cheese?

Louise Cole: 57:56

Cheese.

Peter O'Toole: 57:57

Okay. Is it from microscope or light microscope?

Louise Cole: 58:01

Oh, goodness me. I'm going to say electron.

Louise Cole: 58:06

Oh. Can't you I know. I know.

Peter O'Toole: 58:09

If you consider what your job is, then my goodness say you you I know. You're working in Australia with light microscopes, and you just said you prefer the UK and electron microscopes. You've just lost your residency. Anyway

Louise Cole: 58:23

I hope not.

Peter O'Toole: 58:25

Eat in or eat out?

Louise Cole: 58:28

Oh, eat in.

Peter O'Toole: 58:31

And I I I know the answer to this. Cook or clean?

Louise Cole: 58:34

Oh, yes. Definitely cook.

Peter O'Toole: 58:36

What and what's your favorite food? And so we know your signature dish, your goose. But what's your fave what is your favorite food to eat?

Louise Cole: 58:45

So I'm vegetarian. So I cook meat for my for for for my family. So any any any vegetable. Any vegetable. I can't.

Louise Cole: 58:56

I'm just trying to think of one I don't like. Any yeah. So anything with vegetables.

Peter O'Toole: 59:01

What about your least favorite food?

Louise Cole: 59:06

My least favorite would have to be boiled egg.

Peter O'Toole: 59:13

Okay. Hot or cold?

Louise Cole: 59:16

Cold.

Peter O'Toole: 59:17

Yeah. Okay. I I I yeah.

Louise Cole: 59:19

Cold, I'm not used

Peter O'Toole: 59:20

to cold boiled eggs, but there you are. TV or book?

Louise Cole: 59:27

TV.

Peter O'Toole: 59:29

You're watching any trash TV at the moment? Or what is

Louise Cole: 59:32

it taking? Got. So I, so where my husband's at, I will watch I love all of the craft shows. So, Great Pottery Showdown, Great British Sewing Bee. So trashy would be, is it cake?

Louise Cole: 01:00:01

Very trashy. Very trashy. But, you know, they're they're very clever, the people that make these cakes. They look like an ironing board, but it's cake.

Peter O'Toole: 01:00:11

No. No. No. That's a good answer. I I wish I you sent another picture.

Peter O'Toole: 01:00:15

I just couldn't get it to work, which is a Barbie cake, but I I couldn't get it to

Louise Cole: 01:00:19

Oh, yes. Oh, sorry. But yeah.

Peter O'Toole: 01:00:21

I don't don't know why.

Louise Cole: 01:00:22

I had a I organized a microscopy bake off, And that was, a friend of mine, Katie Dixon, who who, who, yeah, made a a cake of of me, as a core facility, you know, manager. So that was a Barbie and a cake. There was also a brain and a microscope slide. And and somebody else did a tray out of wafers and did some sugar work for the slides.

Louise Cole: 01:00:52

Yeah. That's Yeah. Pretty impressive.

Peter O'Toole: 01:00:55

It'd have been quite good next to the brain if you had the brain slices for histology sections. Anyway, what's your favorite film?

Louise Cole: 01:01:01

Favorite film? Sorry. I have to do this again.

Peter O'Toole: 01:01:04

Yeah. Light's going out.

Louise Cole: 01:01:07

Spirit and Away, which is the, yeah, Miyazaki. Movie Christmas film? It's a Wonderful Life, of course. I watch it every year. Yeah.

Louise Cole: 01:01:20

Beautiful movie.

Peter O'Toole: 01:01:21

And what type of music? Ah, this will be interesting as a gym butt gym bunny. What's your favorite music?

Louise Cole: 01:01:27

So I like female vocalists, so and across all different types of genres. So from from country to to pop. Mhmm.

Peter O'Toole: 01:01:42

What do you work out to? Do you work out to that as

Louise Cole: 01:01:45

well?

Louise Cole: 01:01:46

About it. Whatever they play, which can be pretty hard. So, I know. I know. I don't really know the modern stuff.

Louise Cole: 01:01:57

So something with a fast tempo, I suppose. But you don't go to the gym to listen to good music.

Peter O'Toole: 01:02:04

Favorite color?

Louise Cole: 01:02:06

Yellow.

Peter O'Toole: 01:02:07

See, I know you've seen some of the podcasts, but you didn't realize that if you're saying yellow, you've gotta say something like, aquadine orange or

Louise Cole: 01:02:14

Oh, I don't know.

Peter O'Toole: 01:02:16

Oh, sure. No. I know. But no one ever says it now.

Louise Cole: 01:02:18

Yeah. Of course. Of course. Lucifer yellow. You loser.

Louise Cole: 01:02:23

There you go.

Peter O'Toole: 01:02:26

Favorite technique?

Louise Cole: 01:02:28

Oh, I'm gonna say light sheet. We don't have a light I did have a light sheet. I had an ultra microscope. So we were the 1st in Australia to get an ultra microscope when I was working at the Bosch Institute.

Louise Cole: 01:02:41

Mhmm.

Louise Cole: 01:02:41

And, and I and I was at Phoem in Maastricht in, what, 2,013 when Eric Betzig described the light sheet as the rising star. So Stefan Hell was there with his super res. And, so so I was there when that, that technique really became popular. So, and I'm on a lattice light sheet. Have you got one?

Peter O'Toole: 01:03:14

We we don't have

Louise Cole: 01:03:15

Anyone listening? Anyone listening?

Peter O'Toole: 01:03:19

The lattice light sheet.

Louise Cole: 01:03:20

Take it off your hands. Yes.

Peter O'Toole: 01:03:23

So we are actually just over the hour, but I have to ask one last question. Do you have any regrets?

Louise Cole: 01:03:32

Oh goodness. I think my main regret is that Australia is so far from the UK. I just wanna make that. And that would be great, not only for microscopy, but, you know, to be closer to to family as well. So yeah.

Peter O'Toole: 01:03:50

That's a good answer. I did have other things I wanted to talk about, but we are up to the hour. So, Louise, thank you so much for joining us today. Good luck in your job Thank you. And moving back to the UK and then moving back to Australia again.

Peter O'Toole: 01:04:03

Good luck with the presidency of AMN.

Louise Cole: 01:04:06

Thank you so much.

Peter O'Toole: 01:04:07

You're doing there. And everybody's watched, listened. Actually, there's some really good bits through there and listened to the previous cast. I actually cover some of the material that Louise has been talking about in other details. Louise, thank you so much for joining us.

Louise Cole: 01:04:19

Thank you so much. I really enjoyed it. Yeah. Enjoy your day.

Peter O'Toole: 01:04:23

Thank you.

VX: 01:04:25

Thank you for listening to The Microscopists, a Bite Size Bio podcast sponsored by Zeiss Microscopy. To view all audio and video recordings from this series, please visit bite size bio.comforward/v dashmicroscopists.