No other software package provides support to user's software and stereology questions through a variety of mechanisms:

• Support materials: Stereologer users receive a copy of Introduction to Unbiased Stereology, a 200-page manual by Dr. Mouton and the software engineers at SPA, which includes an illustrated primer on the applications of unbiased stereology to the analysis of biological tissue and images.
• Technical support: Computer scientists, stereologists, and engineers provide answers and solutions to help complete studies in an efficient manner.
• On-line upgrades for instant downloads and updates.
• Continuing contact with customers through Web-site, e-mail, fax, and toll-free stereology hotline.
• Stereology Workshops several times per year in the US and abroad.
• Free copy of "Principles and Practices of Unbiased Stereology: an Introduction for Bioscientists" (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002)

Strong financial support from peer-reviewed NIH grants, the Stereologer has been at the leading edge of critical applications of computerized stereology over the past decade, as outlined below:

• 1996: The Stereologer? introduced as the only computerized stereology system to support both Macintosh and PC platforms.
• 1996-8: First use of immunocytochemistry and modern stereology to quantify total numbers of synaptic boutons in defined brain regions of mice, rats, and non-human primates (Calhoun et al. J Neurocytol 25: 821-828, 1996; Mouton et al: J Neurosci Meth 75: 119-126, 1997; Calhoun et al: Neurobiol Aging 19: 599-606, 1998).
• 2002: First use of “Space Balls” to quantify total length on sections cut at any convenient orientation (Mouton et al: J Microsc 206: 54-64, 2002).
• 2004: First use of “Virtual Cycloids” to quantify total surface area on sections cut at any convenient orientation (Gokhale et al: J Microsc 216: 25-31, 2004).
• 2005: First use of VCS to automatically quantify stereological parameters (Mouton et al Image Anal Stereol 24:1-9; 2005).

Ready to get your computerized stereology on the fast track? We can help you to design the most straightforward, efficient, and affordable approach -- from a simple download of the most recent v2.0 software to a complete Stereology Core Facility at your institution. While the competition continues effort to copy these innovations, the STEREOLOGER remains the cutting-edge, state-of-the-art computerized system for stereological analysis of biological tissue.

FAQs

What does the competition not want you to know?

Many vendors of stereology-related hardware-software systems make enormous profits on premise that customers do not know the following. Now you know.

• Beware of vendors that require you to lease software on an annual basis, rather than purchase. No kidding. This arrangement ensures that you pay year after year for the "privilege" to license their software. Before you enter in a license for stereology software, be sure to review the license agreement, especially check the fine print under Terms of Use.
• Beware of salespeople who require that you switch from Mac to PC computers to use their software. In recent years the surge in Apple products has dramatically increased the number of requests for the Macintosh version of the STEREOLOGER, and that trend is expected to continue.
• Beware of vendors who require that you to purchase expensive image analysis systems that run stereology plug-ins, rather than offer comprehensive stereology solutions. Note that the most useful image analysis functions can be downloaded free from NIH Image (click here).
• Beware of vendors that require you to attend stereology courses specifically designed to learn about their products. This tactic requires you to pay to learn to use their product, rather than to learn about the theory and practice of design-based stereology.
• Beware of stereology systems developed and supported by companies located outside the U.S. Although marketed and promoted by companies in the U.S., you'll need assistance from abroad to issue your problems and questions.
• Beware of pushy salespeople and expensive three-color brochures, in lieu of state-of-the-art up-to-date programming, logical interfaces, and strong customer support.
• Beware of vendor that claim "all stereology software is alike." Enormous differences exist in how different vendors apply modern stereology to computer systems.
  

What differences, if any, exist between the Macintosh and PC versions of the STEREOLOGER?

None. We use customized software for cross-platform programming to maintain identical versions of Mac and PC versions of STEREOLOGER software. Your options include a new PC; a new MacMini loaded with the latest version of iTunes; or a new Intel-equipped Macintosh to run programs in both Mac OSX and Windows.

What other stereology resources do you provide?

Regardless of which computerized stereology system you chose, we have the stereology resources to facilitate your biomedical research projects.

• Educational Programs. The STEREOLOGER system represents computerized applications of the principles and practices of modern stereology, as taught in our Stereology Workshop™ and Stereology ShortCourse™. This training, which we offer several times per year in the U.S. and abroad, is taught by a multidisciplinary team of stereologists and has trained over 1100 biomedical scientists in the U.S. and abroad since 1995.
• Peer-reviewed books. Both our training courses and the STEREOLOGER are based on the on modern stereology as detailed in "Principles and Practices of Unbiased Stereology: An Introduction For Bioscientists." Since published by the Johns Hopkins University Press in 2002, this book has been the best-selling stereology book online (Amazon.com and BarnesandNobel.com). Click here to order directly from the publisher at 20% discount.
• Stereology Core Facility. Bring our equipment, tissue processing facilities, and data collection expertise to your project. Let us know what you need and when you need it -- we'll send you a quote for the job, and then do it right, on schedule, and at the price quoted. That's our promise to you.
• Stereology Consulting. We're here to help whether you need to submit a grant application, to establish a stereology data collection facilities at your institution, to arrange a training course at your institution, or any other stereology-related activity.

We look forward to working with you in the near future.