May 31 2011
Virtual Microscope
67x Diatoms. Fluorescence Microscope
1083x Diatoms. Fluorescence Microscope
The Virtual Microscope
http://virtual.itg.uiuc.edu/
I have been using microscopes and SEMs over the past ten years for the morphological study of barbs and thorns for connecting, hooking, and linking devices potentially useful in design projects. In relation to design, I began drawing frames and skeletal-like building structures based on the silica bones of sponges and diatoms. Access to powerful microscopes has been a problem when teaching that limited the introduction of microscopy into design classes. One option is the virtual microscope. The Virtual Microscope site listed provides a selection of “slides” for SEM and light microscopes and has an easy to use desktop viewer — the two images above are from the viewer; I captured them shortly after downloading. The link below is an article on the use of the virtual microscope at the Open University for distance science learning.
http://www.informaworld.com.ezproxy.webfeat.lib.ed.ac.uk/smpp/title~db=all~content=g937300395
Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning
Volume 26, Issue 2, 2011 Pages 127 – 134
The role of the virtual microscope in distance learning
Peter Whalley; Simon Kelley; Andrew Tindle