During Week 4 students at BHS were given the amazing opportunity to use a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The SEM arrived on Friday of Week 3, the Science faculty was trained in its use on Monday morning of Week 4, and it has been in use every lesson and even some lunchtimes since!

Usually students use Light Microscopes which use backlighting and convex glass lenses to observe samples up close. These microscopes can only magnify up to 40x and require the sample to be very thin so the light can be seen from above. The SEM uses an electron beam to create an image of the sample by collecting information about how many electrons bounce off the surface. This means that scientists can magnify up to 100,000x to see the smallest details without having to slice the sample incredibly thin.

Over the week Science students from all year levels procured their own samples, prepared observation stages, loaded the SEM, and finessed settings in order to see ordinary items at up to 2500x magnification. Students sampled things like grass, seeds, flower petals, and sand. A few brave students found some more interesting samples including ants, beetles, a bee and even a huntsman spider! (Disclaimer: Specimens were found already dead).

A MACRO thank you to Amber Buick for all the hard work she has put in to organise this opportunity. The students have had an amazing time, some even brought in samples from home that they were excited to scan! The Science faculty have also really enjoyed this experience, often fighting for time after school to scan their own samples.

Have a look at these super close ups of a variety of samples and of students using the Microscope!

Kelly Schubert

Can you pick an ant, ant's eye, rye grass, daddylonglegs leg, pollen, prickle or pollen on a bee leg?