Dandelion under the microscope
pollen grains visible
One of the most enjoyable skills for me to teach to students is the use of the microscope. It seems to garner the most student "wows" and "ah-ha" moments. Through lecture, textbook reading, and other activities we teach our students about cellular structure, have them label the parts, draw or sketch the organelles, model with clay or other materials, but seeing them up close and personal seems to make it real.
To scrape the inside of your cheek and smear it on a slide, add a drop of stain and a coverslip and then look through the eyepiece and see a piece of you can have a major impact on a student. This photo was the result of a brain/mask break last fall. A walk around the track and a student's lovely gesture of plucking and presenting me with a dandelion blossom. When we returned to the lab, they continued to work on their Gram staining technique, and I made a wet mount slide.
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