Thank you, Dr. Humphrey!

As part of a science unit on cells, a group of grade 8 students met virtually with Dr. Elaine Humphrey from the University of Victoria’s Advanced Microscopy Facility.  Our student scientists were able to remotely control the University of Victoria’s scanning electron microscope. This brought the microscopic world up close and personal to everyone in the room! 

So what’s the “BIG” Deal? 

Because of its great depth of focus, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) provides detailed images of the surfaces of cells and whole organisms that are not possible by transmission electron microscope (TEM), which is used for very thin specimens such as tissue sections. A scanning electron microscope can be used for particle counting and size determination. 

A Tiny World of Living Creatures… and We Were There 

Our students viewed a wide range of microscopic life. This giant gathering of life was present on a single piece of endangered eel grass. For our class, it was like being part of “Horton Hears a Who!” Did you know that copepods, baby skeleton squid and diatoms can all be found on a blade of eel grass? Diatoms may be the ultimate proof that great things can come in small packages. Diatoms are single celled microscopic organisms that provide 20-40% of the oxygen we breathe. 

We hope you enjoy these photos from our long-distance visit with Dr. Elaine Humphrey from the University of Victoria’s Advanced Microscopy Facility. 

SMS sends our gratitude for this wonderful lesson and the use of this incredible microscope.

Sydney Griffith