BioStation IM cell incubation and monitoring system allows users with minimal microscopy experience to conduct live cell imaging locally or by remote operation over a public or private network. It provides a system for managing, observing and recording cell growth, morphology, and protein expression in culture by providing consistent environmental control of temperature, humidity and gas concentration. The system has a very small footprint with a vibration damping chassis. Unit design eliminates thermal and mechanical drift, ensuring stable environmental controls and drift-free focusing. The product supports multi-dimensional setup for X, Y, time, phase contrast imaging and multi-channel fluorescence.