Features
Tiny Drifters in San Francisco Bay
One jar of concentrated San Francisco Bay seawater = a world of micro to explore with SFMS.
Party for the pollinators
SFMS takes a trip east to join the Ruth Bancroft Garden in their celebration of pollinators.
Amazement at the Victorian Microscope Art Meetup
Microscopes during the Victorian era were a source of entertainment in addition to being used as scientific instruments.
Setting the stage (get your gelato!)
In this installment of Clive’s Corner, Clive describes how gelato can improve your microscopy. It’s another hack that beginners can explore on inexpensive microscopes, and this one is especially delicious.
Igniting new explorers of the microcosmos at the Bay Area Science Festival
For the San Francisco Microscopical Society, the Bay Area Science Festival is our largest event of the year and we were eager to continue our participation after having experienced so many amazing times there from our years past.
Truth and truffles
What it was like to explore a truffle farm with a microscope. Maria Pinto visited Society Treasurer, Jasmine Richardon’s farm in Virginia to find out.
Taking a walk on the dark(field) side
Getting creative to generate darkfield illumination. One of the simplest hacks for a basic brightfield microscope is to place a patch stop beneath the condenser to achieve darkfield illumination so that objects of interest shine brightly on a dark background.
Condenser properties condensed
The instructions for adjusting the condenser in the manuals for some student microscopes can be obscure.
Oculars Wide Open: The Power of Live-sharing Our Microscopical Views
“Is there an ocean view this way?” Well, yes. Only the view I grew up gazing at for hours. The one that in large part inspired me to become an oceanographer.