The day started off with a “Look Around You” video, which is a science fiction comedy. Later on in the day, we went downstairs in the CNSI building to go visit some labs, including our professor’s lab, Nano and Pico Characterization. We also stopped by electron microscopy and advanced optical/fluorescence imaging labs.
In the fluorescence lab, it was interesting to find out that fluorescent tags were used to bring out certain parts of organisms, such as when we were shown the cell’s DNA. Tables holding microscopes resisted any vibration from any kind of source, including those emitted from the outer environment. Next was the Nano and Pico Characterization. This lab provides an extraordinary amount of nano-scale surface analysis instrumentation. The lab also provides both state of the art microscopic ways to view surfaces, nanostructures, and devices at the atomic and molecular scale. Three different methods of research are available in this lab: scanning probe microscopy (SPM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM). The last lab visit of the day was to the electron microscopy lab.
Electron microscopes have a small “tunnel” in which the samples are inserted. However, these microscopes were not allowed to test liquid materials, so every sample has to be frozen up or dried.
After a tour around these three labs, we attended workshops for three hours. The topics were helping us on our finals and midterms by teaching us how to make websites, power points, and videos. In the end, my group and I decided to use a power point for our presentation.
http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/nanopicolab/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBcrTucxiRc
http://www.unl.edu/CMRAcfem/em.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_tag
http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/staticpages/core-facilities