Today was a day to get acquainted with the place we will be residing in for the next two weeks. We toured the areas we would be working in, the brand new California Nano Systems Institute, and met our counselors and group members. After we were divided based on our questionnaire answers we turned in prior to the program, we made our way downstairs to tour two labs. My group first visited Dr. Sergei and his atom force microscope. It was a giant apparatus that showed biological samples on an incredible nano-scale. However, the samples need to be frozen and the picture will be in black and white. Next, we visited another lab across the hall to see an electron scan microscope. These microscopes were really cool because fluorescent colors could be added to samples in order to make more of the image clearer. In addition, we saw images on a computer screen o samples like pollen and frog sperm. What was really interesting about these images was that we were given glasses, and we could see them in 3-D. I have never heard of a microscope that could do such things, so learning and even having hands-on experience with them was such a cool experience. This experience completely set the tone for the next two weeks. This experience completely set the tone for the next two weeks. I obviously knew that there existed far more sophisticated technologies than my classroom microscopes, but I never had any clue as to what was actually out there in the world of science.
atomic force microscope
