Do you love looking under a microscope? Are you fascinated with the tiniest pieces of our world? If you answered yes to any of those questions- or just want to be a part of a fun and laid-back STEM club–then microscopy club is calling your name!
More Information:
Microscopy club will encourage students of all backgrounds to come explore the world on a microscopic level. Whether you want to search for tardigrades in a piece of moss or practice recognizing cells, we are here to help. Come join us in making slides and using microscopes to discover what you can’t see with the naked eye! To launch the club, we are in search of a BC staff member to volunteer as a club advisor and interested students to be leaders and/or inaugural members.
Club Name: Microscopy Club
Club description: A workshop for students who want to practice microscope techniques and exploring different items and organisms under a microscope. Whether it’s to improve for school/career purposes or just to have fun, Microscopy Club is open to anyone who wants to join.
What you will cover: I will be bringing the glass slides, options for fun things to look at, a discord server for everyone to join where helpful and cool resources will be located. I will also bring snacks and some chill music for everyone to enjoy during club meetings. Ideally, all I would need is a lab space and of course, the microscopes.
Vision & Goals: This club will meet once or twice a month with the overall goal of working with microscopes. Students will be encouraged to bring their own items to look at under a microscope, such as assorted leaves or petals from a plant. Another example of what will be offered is prepared slides. For example, looking at frog skin to observe different epithelial cells for A&P students. As someone who took this class, I found the short in-class time used to look at these slides under the microscope to be an invaluable resource for me and my classmates.
Overall, microscopy club will help students to do the following:
- Practice microscope technique
- Meet other students in the science or healthcare field
- Study and work with each other on scientific concepts that can be better understood by using a microscope
- Openly explore their curiosity in a non-judgmental, laid-back environment
- Talk with like-minded peers about science topics
- Most importantly, make microscopy fun!
Benefits to Students: Microscopy is such a valuable tool to so many students in various STEM and healthcare careers. Understanding the makeup of different organisms and objects is essential to building a strong foundation in the science field. Although a number of classes and labs on campus offer the use of microscopes onsite, some students may need or want extra time to practice or just enjoy looking under them. Not only would having an open microscope lab help students in their science related classes, but it would give students a chance to meet like-minded members of their community. Often times in STEM classes, there aren’t great opportunities to chat with classmates, as these classes are usually packed full of lecture material, reading, and assessments. However, microscopy club would give students the chance to have the best of both worlds- productively explore with microscopes and get to know their peers at the same time. Additionally, having a female-founded club in a male dominant field would encourage other women in STEM to come together and lift each other up. Growing up as a young girl who loved science, I often felt embarrassed of my passion for it, since it always seemed like something that was “meant for boys.” After I started classes at BC, I met another girl in a biology class who was just like me. Our comradery has motivated me to continue to work hard and pursue my STEM career goals. I would love nothing more than to have the opportunity to do the same thing for others, and for my peers to experience this feeling too.
Meeting expectations:
- Club meets once or twice a month
- I have already created a discord server for students to join to access all sorts of resources- videos, books, articles, pictures, etc. There are several chat rooms for students to discuss a wide range of topics- whether its science related or not. I want everyone to get to know each other!
- Hopefully, the club will meet in one of the labs in the S building, with access to the microscopes
- I would need help promoting the club. I would be happy to make flyers to post around campus.
- An advisor could be available to meet with to help students with microscopy skills if needed.
If interested or have any questions, please email emma.fessler@bellevuecollege.edu.
Last Updated January 30, 2023