Abstract: A device for culturing specimens may include a housing and a conveyor disposed within the housing, where the conveyor is translatable in vertical directions. The device may further include a plurality of plate holders disposed along a length of the conveyor, such that each plate holder of the plurality of plate holders can be moved to different positions along the length of the conveyor by a translation of the conveyor in the vertical directions. The device may further include an isolation chamber movable between a first position and a second position. The isolation chamber may include an opening and a door. The isolation chamber may be configured such that when the isolation chamber is in the second position, a first plate holder of the plurality of plate holders is isolated from a rest of the housing by the isolation chamber.