Weds January 19, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

At this meeting, Mark Rentz will give a talk entitled, "Transmitted Light Interference Microscopy." Unlike reflected light interference microscopy which is used for precise measurements to opaque, reflecting surfaces, transmitted light interference is best suited for viewing nearly transparent biological specimens.  By combining a light beam sent through the specimen with another beam which bypasses the specimen, the phase of the light can be visualized, hence showing the optical path thickness of the specimen. This talk will discuss the theory of transmitted light interference microscopy and the design of real life instruments.  It will cover some applications, then conclude with observations about the current state of this technique.  A Baker interference microscope will be set up so that attendees can have a first hand experience with this powerful, yet seldom used field of microscopy. Mark Rentz, is a member of the MSSC and an electrical engineer at the Deere Corporation. 

For the second half of the meeting we will be hearing from MSSC Officer, Alan deHaas, the society's "Encyclopedia of Microscopy."  

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Weds February 16, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

Many early makers and users of microscopes documented their work in print. These illustrations are nothing less than stunning and books containing such illustrations are now quite rare and command tremendous prices on the antique market.  This week we will be privileged to view some of these important illustrations. MSSC member, Stuart Warter, will share a DVD containing high 1200x2000 dpi resolution reproductions of five antique microscopy books. For each plate displayed, Stuart will give a brief history of the subject matter.  The books being presented are:

Robert Hooke (1667), Micrographia.
Johann Franz Griendel (1687), Micrographia nova.  
Louis Jablot (1754), Observations d'histoire naturelle faites avec le microscope.
Henry Baker (1744), The Microscope made easy.
Martin F. Ledermuller (1764-1768) Amusement Microscopique.

Assisting in all of this will be our best book expert and authority on the history of antique books, MSSC member, Alan deHaas, who will bring original prints of some of the above books. If you have an example of a book or illustration associated with microscopy that you feel would be of interest, please bring it along to share with others. 

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Weds March 16, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

Now for something different, this month we will be introducing a new technology!  We invite you to bring in samples for analysis.  

Our main guest speaker will be Mr. Nathan Davies, from KivaTech, Olympus Innov-X Representative, who along with associates, has developed a hand-held X-ray fluorescence analyzer.  The following is a description of his presentation:  Innov-X hand held X-ray fluorescence analyzers can non-destructively detect and quantify elements from magnesium to plutonium, some as low as 5 parts per million.  We will go over the theory behind their operation and XRF applications in forensics, anthropology, aerospace, industry, public health, and more.  After the presentation, there will be hands on time with the instruments.  Feel free to bring items for non-destructive analysis, such as jewelry for alloy identification or consumer products to be tested for heavy metals.

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Weds April 20, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

This month we will be devoting our time to the amazing world of macro-photography.  This is normally considered to be a magnification from 1:1 to about 40x, after which photomicrography takes over (the microscope).  The flexibility associated with digital macro-photography has developed new techniques that resolve old depth-of-field limitations.  The natural photographer can now take hundreds of images without the concern of conserving film.  This has elevated the chance of getting that special, spectacular image that came only occasionally in the past.  We plan on having two presentations, the first of which will be on the "Tiny World of the Insects."  

Following the slideshow MSSC Educational Officer, Alan deHaas, will facilitate a discussion on macro-photography and photomicrography. He will cover the pros and cons of macrophotography with an objective, that is a single fully compensated optical group, versus photomicrography at the same magnification.

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Weds May 18, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

The Pond Life program is undoubtedly one of our best attended and most exciting meetings! Members are strongly encouraged to bring pond water, ditch water, fountain water or anything that lives in water. Microscopes, illuminators and pipettes and tools to play in the water are required.(Extra microscopes are always a good thing to bring for guests to use.) Check out the amoeba to the right, courtesy of www.micrographia.com.

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Weds June 15, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

This month Richard Weinberg will give a talk entitled, "Shooting movies through a microscope with a RED One Camera." Mr. Weinberg will present his work on interfacing a high resolution digital movie camera to a number of different microscopes, shooting movies with this approach, and using the system to stream high definition images live from a microscope to distant cities. The RED One camera, developed by RED Digital Cinema, was designed to replace 35mm motion picture cameras for feature film production, and this is its first application for microscopy. Using this camera in conjunction with a microscope allows 4k x 2k movies, at 24 or 30 frames per second, to be captured, while simultaneously outputting HD video. Tonight's presentation will include movies that Richard shot on the system he developed, featuring microorganisms from pond water and from the Pacific Ocean.  In addition, a movie of microorganisms gathered from last month's MSSC pond water exchange will be shown. 

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Weds July 20, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

This month N.A.S.A. Lunar Scientist Dr. Ed. Leighman Gafford will give a presentation entitled, "Fine Art through the Microscope." For well over 25 year Dr. Gafford has been capturing exotic images through his microscope at high magnification. The subjects he normally works with are vitamins, medical compounds, and lunar rocks.  His first art book, "Natures Crystal Flowers" was published in 2001, but most of his publications include articles in scientific journals in the fields of Lunar Geology, Antarctic Geology, microscopy, mineralogy, and paleontology.  Much of his carrier was spent as a scientist for Battelle Research Laboratories in Richland, Washington.  His training was in Geology and Geochemistry, and he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma.  Dr. Gafford's beautifully colorful Polarized light images have appeared on the covers of magazines as well as earning him awards in competitions throughout the world.  His Micro-Art Images can currently be found in Exhibitions and Galleries all over the world.  Dr. Gafford is motivated by his passion for art, especially the natural aesthetics that can be found under the microscope.  He has worked to capture and reveal to his fellow nature lovers the intense color and composition available to anyone willing to spend time at the microscope.  His primary tools include not just the microscope but the use of Polarizing filters to bring out the interference colors found in common substances we find in our everyday lives, with the exception of the lunar material of course.  The speaker will share techniques and recommendations for
achieving success at becoming an artist at the use of the microscope.  This will be a presentation you will not wish to miss, if you are impressed with the amazing beauty of nature and the hidden art that can be found under the microscope, you will very much enjoy this meeting (MSSC Lectureship meeting, July 20th, 2011).   A preview of Dr. Gafford's work can be found at his website:  http://www.amasterofmagic.com/art 

PLEASE NOTE : Dr. Gafford had to cancel at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances. We hope to bring him back to give this presentation at a future date.

Instead this meeting's presentation will be “A journey into the microscope: INNER SPACE." We will regress back to the days of film, and experience what we were doing before the digital age.  Images will include a journey from outer space into the realm of inner space - everything you can imagine through the microscope - showcasing effects produced by special techniques such as polarized light and colored dark-field. 

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Saturday, August 17, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

This month N.A.S.A. Lunar Scientist Dr. Ed. Leighman Gafford will give a presentation entitled, "Fine Art through the Microscope." For well over 25 year Dr. Gafford has been capturing exotic images through his microscope at high magnification. The subjects he normally works with are vitamins, medical compounds, and lunar rocks.  His first art book, "Natures Crystal Flowers" was published in 2001, but most of his publications include articles in scientific journals in the fields of Lunar Geology, Antarctic Geology, microscopy, mineralogy, and paleontology.  Much of his carrier was spent as a scientist for Battelle Research Laboratories in Richland, Washington.  His training was in Geology and Geochemistry, and he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma.  Dr. Gafford's beautifully colorful Polarized light images have appeared on the covers of magazines as well as earning him awards in competitions throughout the world.  His Micro-Art Images can currently be found in Exhibitions and Galleries all over the world.  Dr. Gafford is motivated by his passion for art, especially the natural aesthetics that can be found under the microscope.  He has worked to capture and reveal to his fellow nature lovers the intense color and composition available to anyone willing to spend time at the microscope.  His primary tools include not just the microscope but the use of Polarizing filters to bring out the interference colors found in common substances we find in our everyday lives, with the exception of the lunar material of course.  The speaker will share techniques and recommendations for
achieving success at becoming an artist at the use of the microscope.  This will be a presentation you will not wish to miss, if you are impressed with the amazing beauty of nature and the hidden art that can be found under the microscope, you will very much enjoy this meeting (MSSC Lectureship meeting, July 20th, 2011).   A preview of Dr. Gafford's work can be found at his website:  http://www.amasterofmagic.com/art 

NOTE : This meeting was originally scheduled for July.

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Weds September 21, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

This meeting's speaker will be Dr. Alan Cantwell M.D., a retired dermatogolist. Dr. Cantwell has dedicated himself to studying men's health and the causes of AIDS.  He graduated from New York Medical College in 1959. He studied dermatology at the Long  Beach VA Hospital in Long Beach, CA. From 1965 until his retirement in 1994, he was with the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, in the Department of Dermatology, in Los Angeles. His scientific interest is in the field of cancer and AIDS microbiology. He is the author of more than 30 published papers on cancer, AIDS, and other immunologic diseases and five books, including The Cancer Microbe and Four Women Against Cancer, all self-published through Aries Rising Press.

While acknowledging the progress in the standard theories and the influence of viral infection, Dr. Cantwell finds in today's environment that old fashion microbiology is being neglected.  Dr. Cantwell will present his research on the microbiology of Cancer and the impact of microbes on the development of AIDS in a two part presentation entitled: 

The Cancer Microbe-and the Russel Body,
9 Things to know about "THE CANCER MICROBE". 

The cancer microbe in AIDS, What causes AIDS?
Cancer bacteria play a major role in the production of clinical AIDS.

Following Dr. Cantwell presentation, MSSC member, Jim Fitzsimmons' uncle “Terry” will make a brief presentation regarding a gold artifact that he discovered some years ago. "Terry" would appreciate MSSC members' assistance in identifying the source of the artifact and the identity of the man carved in the amber portion of the seal.  He will take about 15 minutes to show a power point presentation and then answer any questions from the members.

Reminder: the second part of any Wednesday meeting is alway open for this type of presentation from MSSC members, and a time to share your projects and interests with the group. Presentations need not be formal or extensive. If you have something you wish to share at a future meeting, please contact the MSSC Prtesident. 

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Weds October 19, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

This meeting's speaker will be Dr. Jian-Guo Zheng, a project scientist in Calit2 and director of operation of the laboratory for electron and x-ray instrumentation (LEXI), a campus-wide shared user facility for materials characterization at UCI. Dr. Zheng will be presenting on "Materials Characterization using TEM." Macroscopic properties of a material are closely related to the crystal structure, microstructure and composition of the material. Materials characterization describes the features of composition and structure (including defects) of a material that are significant for a particular preparation, study of properties, or use, and suffice for reproduction of the material. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a powerful tool for materials characterization. It is capable of revealing morphology, crystal structure, electronic structure, defects, composition and atomic bonding from micron-scale down to atomic scale. This talk briefly introduces the principles and applications of TEM as well as the materials characterization facility at UCI (http://lexi.eng.uci.edu/).

In addition to working as a project scientist in Calit2 and director of operation of the laboratory for electron and x-ray instrumentation (LEXI), Dr. Zheng is also an elected Fellow of the Royal Microscopic Society (UK) and holds an adjunct professor position in Nanjing University (China). His expertise is in advanced electron microscopy, materials characterization and materials physics. He has authored/ coauthored more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Prior to joining UCI, Dr. Zheng was a research assistant professor in materials science and engineering and manager of electron probe instrumentation center at Northwestern University (US), a senior experimental officer in electron microscopy at the University of Liverpool (UK), and an associate professor in physics at Nanjing University (China). 

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Weds November 16, 2011 at 7:00pm, New Roads School (map)

This is the annual Exhibition Meeting of the Society. This is one of the best events of the year and is a great deal of fun. Each member is encouraged to bring along an exhibit to share. Anything associated with microscopic subjects is welcome. Your exhibit could be simple, for example you could set up your microscope with your favorite slide. A projector will be provided for those bringing 35mm slides. Posters and display boards are also encouraged, along with the usual sales table. Please remember to bring a label or piece of paper with a brief description of your exhibit.

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No December meeting, instead the MSSC Holiday Banquet, December 11, 2011, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

The Holiday Banquet is set for Sunday, December 11th 2011.  Come and celebrate the completion of another wonderful year with fellow MSSC members.  The gathering will be at the Earth Wind & Flour Restaurant, 2222 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90403. Phone 310 829-7829. Please bring cash as there will be no individual checks. Dinners are about 10-20 dollars + 20% tip depending on what you order from the menu. 

The program will include our annual report, highlights from the past year including some exhibits, and a presentation of "Images from the Earth" by MSSC member Mark Armitage. RSVPs required by Dec. 7th.

Please rsvp to MSSC President, Jim Solliday if you plan on attending. jlsolliday @ roadrunner.com.

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