Introduction to cheap field microscopy for the general public and citizen science.

From cell phone macro lenses to origami based microscopes, the landscape of accessible tools for getting a closer look at the world is changing quickly. This talk will survey some of the development of these tools and look at how they are currently being used in citizen science and classrooms. Many of these tools, most beneath $20, will be available to play with and a small portion of time will be spent looking at what new tools are lingering on the horizon.

Damon Tighe works for Bio-Rad Laboratories as a Curriculum and Training Specialist helping bring hands on biotechnology into classrooms. He also moonlights as a Naturalist for the California Center of Natural History. He spent many sleepless night behind a Zeiss Axio Observer fluorescent scope while working at the National Lab's Joint Genome Institute on isolating single unculturalbe microbial cells for whole genome sequencing.

This week, we’re shrinking NightLife down to size with a celebration of all things tiny, miniature, and microscopic.

Music by DJ Starfari

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Live Talks: Think Small
Science Today

• At 7:30 PM, Catch a live talk on the future of tiny homes from Daniel Fitzpatrick, California Chapter Leader of the American Tiny House Association.

• At 8:30 PM, See what NASA advisor and author of "What's It Like in Space?" Ariel Waldman found when she traveled to Antarctica for 5 weeks to film microbes living under the ice.

Mini Mobile
East Garden
7:00 - 10:00 PM

• Get in and check out Happier Camper’s HC1, the tiny unique trailer inspired by classic design and packed with modern functionality.

Tiny Showcase
Project Lab
All Evening

• Get up close and personal with microscopic organisms with the San Francisco Microscopical Society & Merritt Microscopy and learn about the complex genetics, behavior, and chemical ecology of ants with UC Berkeley researcher Kelsey Scheckel.

VR Experience: Drop in the Ocean
Piazza
All Evening

• Explore the ocean from a plankton's perspective in the Academy's brand-new social VR experience Drop in the Ocean". (Not included with NightLife Admission. Tickets are $12 public, $10 Academy members.)

Guaranteed tardigrade sighting!
Ever wonder what is living in your compost or hanging out in your rain gutter? Collect fun specimens from your backyard and bring them for visualization. We will have various scopes to use for hands-on examination or bring your own microscope to practice.

During a five-week expedition to Antarctica, San Francisco Microscopical Society member Ariel Waldman set out to reveal the "microbial Serengeti" that lives beneath the continent's ice. Embedded in glaciers, under the sea ice, and swimming in subglacial ponds, a large variety of microbes (including tardigrades!) not only survive in this polar desert but thrive. Photographed and video-recorded by Ariel, the microscopic population will amaze you and enrich your understanding of Antarctic ecology.

About the speaker:
Ariel Waldman sits on the council for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts, a program that nurtures radical, science-fiction-inspired ideas that could transform future space missions. She is the co-author of a congressionally-requested National Academy of Sciences report on the future of human spaceflight and the author of the book "What’s It Like in Space?: Stories from Astronauts Who’ve Been There". Ariel the global director of Science Hack Day, a grassroots endeavor to prototype things with science that is now in 30 countries. In 2013, Ariel received an honor from the White House for being a Champion of Change in citizen science. In 2018, she led a five-week expedition to Antarctica to explore the microscopic life beneath the ice, filming microbes living within glaciers, under the sea ice, and in subglacial ponds. As an art school student without a formal science background, Ariel never anticipated that she would one day stumble into a gig at NASA. After her experience at NASA, her mission is now to enlighten others on how anyone can actively contribute to the furthering of science and space exploration in clever new ways.

FAQs

• When does the talk start?
There will be free, limited seating. Doors open for the San Francisco Microscopical Society's meeting at 6:30pm, followed by the talk at 7pm.

• What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?
Free parking is available in the Randall Museum parking lot. Further transportation directions can be found at https://www.randallmuseum.org/about-us/directions-hours/ .

• Do I need to know anything about science or microscopes to enjoy the presentation?
No, this presentation is intended for a wide audience. The host, the San Francisco Microscopical Society, is a friendly, local community of microscope enthusiasts who are happy to be a resource for your microscope curiosities no matter your experience level.

Love plankton? Do you want to see it live on stage?

The human behind the instagram account Pacificplankton https://www.instagram.com/pacificplankton/ will bring samples to observe and then demonstrate a simple photography hack. Share Plankton images on the big screen discuss the astounding diversity found in our local plankton ecosystem.

Come join the San Francisco Microscopical Society for a night of plankton exploration with Janai Southworth (Farallones National Marine Sanctuary). Free event, open to the public.

Election and voting for the 2019 Board Members will also take place at this meeting (members only vote). Interested in joining, getting more involved or running for office? Let us know!