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Microscopy and Imaging Leader Shinya Inoué Dies

The long-time Marine Biological Laboratory scientist was known for using his own hand-built microscopes to image the dynamics of live cells.

Written byJef Akst
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Shinya Inoué, who made a name for himself by innovating advances in microscopy and live-cell imaging, died last week (September 30) at age 98, according to an announcement from the University of Chicago’s Marine Biological Laboratory, where Inoué worked for more than a half century.

“For the last 30 years, I had the great fortune to work with Shinya Inoué, who was an exacting and demanding, yet patient and always generous mentor, who taught by example, combining a passion both for creating tools and applying them to reveal the mysteries of life,” MBL senior scientist Rudolf Oldenbourg says in the release.

Among his contributions to the field of microscopy, Inoué was well known as the coinventor of video microscopy. He then combined the technique with computer-assisted contrast enhancement, revealing details of cells previously hidden and paving the way for electronic and then digital imaging. In 1986, he published a book ...

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  • Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.

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