"On Your Site" Courses

Each year, a significant number of McRI courses occur on-site as our instructors are well suited and experienced for teaching anywhere in the world.

Microscopy Courses that Come to You & the McCrone Research Institute Course Experience

Our courses focus on the application of microscopy to the solution of chemical, environmental and forensic problems. Every course is based on lectures, demonstrations and laboratory practice. Students learn each technique by hearing about it, watching it being done and then doing it themselves. Live video is used extensively for both macro- and micro-projection in the lectures and classroom demonstrations. Each student is supplied with a polarized light microscope and all necessary accessories, reagents and text materials. All of our courses are intensive, graduate level courses. Anyone missing any half-day session the first three days will be left behind.

Because of Dr. McCrone’s vision and passion, McCrone Research Institute (McRI) has taught over 25,000 students in more than 2100 classes since 1960. As a not-for-profit teaching and research institute, McRI is committed to a non-commercial, academic setting. McRI is not affiliated with any particular microscope manufacturer, nor do we have a division that sells microscope accessories and supplies, and we do not (either directly or indirectly) benefit from consulting work with their students companies.

Courses for Your Specialized Needs

McCrone Research Institute is a unique educational institute in that we are willing and able to bring most of our regular intensive one-week courses to your site for up to 18 students. These on-site courses provide the instructor and host company the unique opportunity to decide which topics in the course to emphasize, to raise troublesome technical problems for discussion and study, and to give supervising personnel and management the chance to sit in and learn with the students about the material and equipment. Each course offers a strong foundation in both theory and application. Confidential treatment is understood and practiced.

For each on-site course, one of our full-time instructors consults with you and plans the detailed course curriculum. We bring all materials and equipment for each of your students – nearly $500,000 worth of microscopes, audio-video cameras and monitors, text and reference books, prepared microscope slides, manipulative tools, reagents, index liquids, projector slides, etc. travel to each on-site course. This amounts to a van-load of equipment weighing nearly a ton. The instructor arrives at the site by noon Sunday to meet our van driver set up all of the equipment in order to prepare for the course on Monday morning. On Friday afternoon, he/she packs up and drives back to Chicago, or to the next on-site course.

You furnish students and a room (>8 by >12 meters) suitable for projection, tables and chairs. Our electrical requirements are minimal, about 1000 watts.

These courses can be scheduled for any time of year but our traveling van with all equipment must be sure of getting to your location, hence weather and course locations before and after have to be considered. Also since we are limited in the number of courses we can schedule per year, we prefer to begin planning usually at least six months away. For details, please contact the Registrar registrar@mcri.org

Here, There and Everywhere

Each year, a significant number of our courses occur on-site as our instructors are well suited and experienced for teaching anywhere in the world.

We have taught courses at a wide variety of U.S. sites: some of them on multiple occasions. For example, McClellan Air Force Base, 3M Company, National Institute of Justice, NYU Institute of Fine Arts, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Cornell University; but also one or more time for more than 40 different Federal and State labs; for many companies: Syntex, Parke-Davis, du Pont, Procter & Gamble, Bristol Myers/Squibb, three IBM locations, and for many art galleries and laboratories: National Gallery in Washington, The Getty, Courtaulds, Smithsonian, and Campbell [Conservation] Center.

McRI is also proud to have been asked in the past to teach some on-site courses internationally in England, Germany, Italy, Israel, Australia, Korea, and Canada.
More Information about McCrone Research Institute Clients & Affiliations

Advantages of On-site Courses

We plan our courses to coincide with your company’s individual needs, with your input on which topics to emphasize
Lower cost per student, we do the traveling, so all student travel and subsistence costs for one week are avoided. Please contact the McRI registrar for a full quotation of costs.
An opportunity to raise troublesome technical problems for discussion and study
An opportunity for your supervising personnel to sit in on any lectures
A chance for management to learn what equipment is most useful in a microscopy laboratory
Obtain an evaluation of your personnel for a career in microscopy

At this time, we know of no other institute with the experience and ability to offer equivalent courses to students anywhere in the world. These on-site courses are an integral part of our mission to teaching and research in applied microscopy.

For more information, please contact the Registrar at 312-842-7100 or at registrar@mcri.org