Microscope Night!
Every year students all over the state of Oklahoma participate in the Ugly Bug contest (http://www.uglybug.org/). Students can bring "bugs" into their schools, to be voted on by their class, and then submitted to the Oklahoma Microscopy Society. A committee selects several winners from the hundreds of candidates to be imaged with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The result is a MUCH larger than life portrait that is featured in an exhibit at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History.
The same Oklahoma Microscopy Society organizes a "Kids Night with Microscopes" at OU. On Friday evening my wife and I took our two young kids to this event which sounded right up our alley. My kids have already been exposed to a lot of nature and science since we have attended the Oklahoma BioBlitz the last few years, and both of my kids have been really interested in using microscopes when they have been around them. When we were driving to the Microscope Night my kids were hesitant about the event and asking where we were going and why. I told them what little I knew about the event and told them to trust me, because I thought they would like it.
The event was packed into a small space with more than a dozen different tables to visit. We started with one of the Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM), a piece of equipment measuring about 3' x 2' x 2'. Unlike an optical microscope which is a set of lenses that allow you to use your own vision to see small scale features, the SEM creates a vacuum and then uses a beam of electrons to scan the surface of objects to create a very high resolution image on a computer screen. We brought our own insects along with us and the attendant showed us how to mount the insects, load them inside the SEM, and then use the software to zoom into the area of interest and create an image. It was amazing how quick we were able to create an image that was poster-worthy. The technology of SEMs has come a long way in a short period of time. Just a decade ago there would be a lot more preparation to dry a specimen and then sputter coat it in a conductive material before mounting the specimen. But the latest models don't require any prep work to your specimens. The technician told me the model we were getting to play with is a fairly inexpensive model, priced at only $87,000. When I got home I sent a message to my moth observing friends and told them we could really up our moth-ing game with one of these pieces of equipment. My friend quipped that I could probably get a discount if I bought two.
Other tables at the Microscope Night included boxes of pinned beetles and butterflies with a regular optical microscope and hand lenses; a 3D printer; a fluorescent microscope; a stereo microscope; nanoparticle creation; generate your own lightning; cool sand and rocks; and a few others. My kids have both started rock collections over the last year and they were thrilled to find a basket full of interesting rocks with a sign that said "one rock per child." My son chose a beautiful milky green rock we learned was fluorite, one of the ingredients of our toothpaste; and my daughter chose a polished labradorite rock which reveals blue and green iridescence within when tilted just right. My kids came away from the event very energized and I know we will be making a point to attend again next year.
After Robert Theimer showed us his collection of microscopes and scientific field tools at the Introduction to Ecology workshop on Saturday morning I was speaking with Larry Mays and Rebecca Carlberg about microscopes. Rebecca said she has been considering getting one of her grandchildren a microscope soon and that they are reaching that critical age span of 9-12 years old when they are absorbing so much. My kids are getting close to that age as well and I think a microscope will be a great gift for them in a few years - the optical kind, not the $87,000 Scanning Electron Microscope.
I am encouraged to see these opportunities for kids of all ages to be exposed to hands-on experiences that engage their brains and get them thinking about all of the amazing career opportunities that exist, not to mention hobbies. All of the of the activity leaders were very patient with the kids and spoke in a way that they could understand. The microscope night was a great way to encourage kids to explore the wonders of nature through technology. As our daily lives become more entrenched in technology I think it is important that we find ways in which technology can be used to build a greater appreciation of the natural world. The focus of microscope night was technology and not nature, but much of what was being observed with the technology was the natural world.