About BINA

Our Core Values

• Community – building collaboration and partnership to achieve shared goals
• Inclusion – fostering a welcoming and diverse environment to encourage participation and individual contributions
• Excellence – working with rigor and integrity to ensure reproducible and quantitative data

Our Pillars

Interaction, Education, Advocacy, Standardization

Our History

BioImaging North America (BINA) was formally established during the 2018 “Frontiers in Microscopy Technologies and Strategies for Bioimaging Centers Network” meeting on Janelia Research Campus. It was registered as a US non-profit organization in June 2018 and until the Spring of 2021 was an entirely volunteer-based organization. Thanks to a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), as part of its ongoing support for  bioimaging scientists, advanced technologies and international networks of bioimaging facilities and communities, funding was provided to support two full-time administrative staff members and kick off a range of funded programs and resources, details of which can be found in the pages of this web site. 

The original BINA logo was created by BINA member Christopher Wood as a ‘play on images’ with intersecting lines as an example of a group of mathematical constructs called “confocal conics” or confocal ellipses/hyperbolics. The color palette was red, green, blue as a nod to the North American communities involved. The logo and color palette were updated in Spring 2022 to the one you see now, representing a “b” with the spectrum of colors used in light microscopy and providing the illusion of an open box of possibilities.

Bioimaging North America is supported by a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative DAF, an advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Kevin Eliceiri is the Principal Investigator on the award which is administered by the Morgridge Institute for Research in Madison, Wisconsin.

BINA Bylaws are available here.

Board Meeting Highlights

Sept 2024 |

Guidelines for BINA Board Nominations

Executive Board candidates are identified by the Board in large part from members of the BINA Leadership & Working Groups as well as nominees of the Michael W. Davidson Memorial Award, as these represent active members of the BINA community who understand and uphold BINA’s mission and vision. Occasionally, if there is a need on the Board for particular skills, knowledge, or connections that are not immediately available from members of the above groups, the Board may choose to nominate and elect a member, from outside these groups, to fulfill this specific need.

BINA Leadership comprises BINA Board Members and Working Group Chairs and Co-Chairs. This group meets at least twice a year to align on activities and share updates, and each Working Group has a Board representative acting as the Board Liaison. Working Group Chairs and Co-Chairs are informally identified by WG Members with no fixed term. They are free to change as the WG deems appropriate and WGs are encouraged to have up to 3 co-chairs at a time to distribute the workload and provide an opportunity for representation from all countries in BINA – USA, Canada and Mexico.

Once elected to the Board, members may choose to continue their involvement in the WG Chair/Co-Chair roles until suitable replacements can be found and/or if the need arises to switch to the Board Liaison role with the agreement of the WG Members.

In 2025 BINA introduced non-voting, one year internship positions on the Board for early career (up to 8 years post-terminal degree) members of the BINA Working Groups. This allows early career members to gain exposure to high-level decision making processes, insight into leadership strategies, and experience governance and strategic thinking skills. Additionally, the internship will be a stand-out addition on a CV, demonstrating initiative, ambition, and interest in leadership roles, especially those in a not-for-profit organization. As a non-voting entity, the intern board member can offer input, share ideas, and contribute without the full weight of responsibility, building confidence and knowledge.

Applications for the 2025 Board Internship role(s) are closed and applicants will be notified by March 1 of the outcome. We will open applications for 2026 opportunities in January 2026.