Electron Microscopy in the Classroom
Diatomaceous Earth Magnified 2,500 times
For Spring semester 2009 The Electron Microscopy Facility collaborated with Prof. Erick Greene in a two week electron microscopy lab module. Our purpose was to allow students to observe biological structures beyond what is visible to the naked eye or through a light microscope. To do this we used the transmission and scanning electron microscopes in our facility to provide images of macrophages, pollen, and diatomaceous earth. Arriving in small groups the 300 lab students got a tour of the facility and observed various images in the TEM and SEM. During the second week we used our remote access capability to show the individual lab sections images of the samples they had prepared. This allowed them to compare views of diatomaceous earth and pollen taken with a dissecting microscope and a light microscope with images at much higher resolution and magnification from the facility’s SEM. Our remote access function showed the classes live images from the SEM streamed over the internet while the SEM’s operator, Jim Driver, provided commentary about the structures observed.