Make a microscope at Biology Club on 27 Sep?

[Jenny Molloy]

Hi All

At the Biomakespace committee meeting tonight we realised we have a LOT of microscope parts which may or may not form a full microscope and in any case could be fun to dig through.

We wondered about having a "make a microscope" session at Makespace on Mon 27 Sep where we will see what Frankenstein-style imaging tools we can create from the pile of parts and if people want to chat about other microscope projects, mess around with some foldscope/openflexure scopes and other interesting maker microscopes, we can do that too.

Any interested? Sorry to those that have been joining remotely that this session proposal will mostly only work in person although we could have a Zoom open for chat.

Jenny

[Simon Ford]

Sounds great. Shout when it is up and perhaps we also share with some of the local companies that might have some microscope nerds/technicians!

On 19 Aug 2021, at 20:32, Jenny Molloy <jcmcop...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi All

--
http://biology-club.makespace.org
biolog...@makespace.org

[Jenny Molloy]

Hi All

The committee is gathering parts plus a bunch of CCD cameras that Roger collected as a donation from a company.

We're thinking of running this mostly as a "scrapheap challenge" style event so we're going to have to get creative about how to include remote participants.

My current thought is we could split into teams on different tables and have a Zoom breakout per team (i.e. a laptop per table) for chat with anyone who can't make it, who would be providing ideas/research etc. We can't have everyone in the same Zoom room because the chat opportunities and feedback would both be quite bad.

Any other ideas?

Jenny

[Simon Ford]

call in to any local companies for unused/broken/etc microscopes for donation? (And for any people in those companies to join to help?)

Do you want companies/suppliers to bring in interesting microscopes too? Maybe things like the NIAB plant scanner too (not quite a microscope, more like a super-resolution camera). This may be a distraction, and perhaps more for a bio show-and-tell?

Simon

[Simon Ford]

In fact - didn’t you have an idea about a lab equipment repair cafe? I wouldn’t muddle the events, but maybe the call out to companies looking for equipment (and people) could be?

[Jenny Molloy]

I'm in two minds about getting more donated microscope parts as some of this is figuring out what of the pile we have is useful and what should be disposed of :)

Call out to companies would be good for people to help. I'm on leave and off email next week - does anyone else know some likely candidates and could drop them a note?

I would love to do a lab repair cafe, worth floating to attendees at this event for sure :)

Jenny

[Simon Ford]

Good point on not asking for more donated stuff - don’t want to be a dumping ground for old equipment, nor be known as the place where everything is old/knackered! 

Biomakespace should be and should be seen as cutting edge! 

A straight make-a-microscope event sounds great, and once it is up we can reach out/advertise for people in companies who might want to help out. Some extra microscope stuff might turn up, but no need to ask. It is just the placeholder atm by the looks of it, https://www.meetup.com/Makespace/events/hjwzdsyccmbkc/ - important to get these things up so they can be advertised! Can someone do that? (Not Jenny!)

I’ll ask the repair cafe about a lab repair - I’m sure they’d have good repairers, and also be a way to seek out others. It can be about lab equipment sitting around needing love, and some may turn in to donations. Is there anyone on the bio-commitie that would be interesting in leading the lab repair cafe?! Could be. Great way to meet technicians etc from other companies.

Simon