They can see clearly now

Earth Sciences students check out a new Nikon microscope. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Earth Sciences students are happily scoping out 20 brand new, high-powered microscopes that have replaced old microscopes in use since the 1960s in the petrology lab.

“It’s like the difference between HD TV and regular TV,” muses Christina Goudy, a second-year Earth Sciences student. “You don’t think there is a difference until you experience it.”

The old Zeiss microscopes — dubbed “Optical Sea Kings”—were obsolete and finding parts was difficult. But replacing them proved as hard as the rocks they magnify. The main stumbling block was the price: the new microscopes cost about $9,000 each.

The Department of Earth Sciences worked with External Relations to target alumni who could contribute. With corporate funding and a bequest from former student Cecily Honig, the department was able to purchase eight of the new Nikon microscopes. It is continuing to raise money for the remainder.

Although some may wonder what motivates students to study the ground beneath us, Becky Jamieson, Carnegie Professor of Earth Sciences, notes that petrology gives us insight into the past and is crucial in understanding the present.

“Whether extracting metals or building houses, any use of Earth materials requires an understanding of rocks, most efficiently done through observation with microscopes,” she explains.

The difference between the old and new microscopes is night and day, says Dr. Jamieson, and students agree. “They have a larger field of view, and everything looks much clearer,” says second-year student Jennifer Noade. Even I, an arts student who knows more about classic rock than bedrock, could notice the incredible difference in clarity.

The new Nikon microscopes also allow for an enhanced learning environment. With the old microscopes, Dr. Jamieson would “walk into a lab and wonder how many would be working that day. It made planning labs quite challenging.”

This is no longer an issue, especially for her fourth-year class, which needs the high-powered scopes to examine metallic materials. The new microscopes allowed for “the first year in many years that all students could see what they were supposed to,” she says. 

Jessica Wishart is a graduating student in International Development Studies.

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