Microscopy

Hi everyone,

It has been quiet in the herbarium without Abigail and Emilie, but the work is still exciting. I have been working with Dr. Monfils on several projects since the beginning of the semester including creating labels for specimens she had collected and creating microscopy plates for a manuscript she is planning to submit to the journal, Grana. The plates contain SEM micrographs of pollen grains from the Brassicaceae family. Creating these microscopy plates are time consuming, but it is rewarding work. I get really geeked when creating them because so many aspects go into formatting a plate, yet the finished product looks so simplistic. It is always important to remember that the proportions of images must not be altered in any way. Scientific imaging and ethics is a really important part of the research process, because if an image is falsely altered, it can completely change the outcome or findings of a research project. I’ve included the first plate I’ve created below.



Fig. 1. SEM micrographs of pollen grains of the Brassicaceae family: A & D. Arabis hirsuta; B & E. Draba cana; C & F. Draba daurica. Scale bars – 10 µm (A, B, & C); 3 µm (D, E, & F).

 If you want to know more about creating a microscopy plate, Dr. Monfils has created a tutorial with the help of a photoshop expert. It can be found here:

http://cmcherbarium.bio.cmich.edu/imaging/step-by-step%20updated%20032008.pdf

A new herbarium assistant, Sascha Seide, started working this week. She is an English major with a biology minor. After she learns the ins and outs of the herbarium, she will be updating our written protocols, creating promotional resources and along with the rest of us, updating the blog! Look for her first post coming soon.

Both Abigail and Emilie should be returning soon as well! I am excited to see them and hear all about their journeys. I’m sure they will update you all as well. Thanks for reading!

My Best ,

Adriane Shorkey