2021 was a year that brought many changes to all of us. Among the most significant for the FlowCam team was the return to traveling for demonstrations, installations, training & services, and in-person conferences. Given the success of our remote training options, we continue to offer virtual training via FlowCam University and individual virtual demonstrations and training.
We welcomed new team members, including a new CEO and senior leadership. We are excited to be expanding our operations in Maine and are looking to grow our FlowCam team. Come work with us, we are hiring!
We continue to innovate with new product releases. FlowCam LO is the first instrument to combine light obscuration with flow imaging microscopy. On the software side, we have incorporated your feedback into several updates and enhancements of VisualSpreadsheet 5.
Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to working with you in 2022. Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year!
Woronichinia spp. appears as the primary source of a late-season harmful algal bloom present in a water sample from the City of Danbury, CT.
Community Groups Take HAB Monitoring Into Their Own Hands
The Worcester Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative (WCMC) is one example of a citizens group taking initiative to conduct monitoring of recreational water bodies. While the Massachusetts Department of Public Health provides cyanobacteria threshold guidelines in recreational and drinking water, the EPA does not offer a standard for how to test for the presence of these cyanobacteria, or guidance on how to prevent blooms.
The WCMC's bought a FlowCam Cyano to meet their goal of establishing an efficient and cost-effective monitoring method that is officially recognized as valid by the Massachusetts Department of Health.
Austin Water Uses FlowCam to Detect Harmful Algal Blooms
The City of Austin Texas's water utility, Austin Water, recently implemented FlowCam Cyano after learning about FlowCam from a key employee who was familiar with the technology. Austin Water immediately understood the value of a high-speed instrument for predicting harmful algal blooms and preventing taste and odor issues. As a result, they were able to acquire funding quickly.
Learn From Your Peers: See How FlowCam is Helping to Predict and Prevent HABs
The Algal Bloom Action Team, host of the 2nd Annual Virtual HAB Symposium, is a collaboration of water professionals, researchers, and educators from twelve states in the North Central Region of the United States.
On Thursday, January 6th, Hunter Adams of The City of Wichita Falls, Texas will be giving a talk titled "Proactive Monitoring - HABs, T&O, and Cyanotoxins" at 10 am Central Time. The event is free, however, registration is required.
New FlowCam Technical Notes: Using Preservatives with Phytoplankton Samples
Aquatic scientists often need to store natural samples for a period of time before processing them using FlowCam. There are multiple preservatives available for this purpose.
We recently prepared two new technical notes that describe in detail how to prepare an aquatic sample using either glutaraldehyde or Lugol's, and show data that demonstrates how well each method can preserve a sample for a period of time (30 and 42 days respectively).
We continue to innovate and improve upon VisualSpreadsheet with a new release of version 5.7. Updates cover several categories including improvements to context file functions, enhancements to classification templates, and improvements to the user interface and calibration process.