Weds January 16, 2019 at 6:30pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville.Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN AND RESCHEDULED FOR MARCH 20th

This is the third in the three-part class on How to Use the Polarizing Microscope (the first part was held in September, second in October 2018).  If you intend to participate in the class and you don’t have a polarizing microscope, please let the MSSC President know so we can try to have extra stands available. 

How to Use the Polarizing Microscope,
Workshop presented by Wayne Moorehead

Using the Polarizing Microscope (MSSC workshop) This workshop is a reduction from a semester long course crammed into 3 sessions. Clearly, much will be removed due to time constraints, but essential components will be briefly covered:

Myths of the Microscope
Light & Optics   
Crystallography & Polarized Light Microscopy
Terminology 1 and 2      
Using PLM to identify unknowns
Isotropic crystals             
Uniaxial crystals
Biaxial crystals  
Microcrystal tests
Recrystallization & Fusion melts

                
Workshop 1 (Sep 19, 2018)
Myths of the Microscope
Light & Optics
Crystallography & PLM
Setting up the Polarized Light Microscope Terminology 1 Using PLM to identify unknowns Isotropic crystals
 
Workshop 2 (Oct 17, 2018)
Using PLM to identify unknowns
Refractive index determination of isotropic particles Microcrystal test example Terminology 2
 
Workshop 3 (Jan 16, 2019)
Uniaxial crystals
Biaxial crystals
Using PLM to identify unknowns
Refractive index determination of uniaxial crystals Fusion melt example

Important List of Supplies:

The following is a list of supplies and items you should bring to the meeting.  If you don’t have every item, just bring what you have.  If you have nothing on the list then just bring yourself and partner up with another member. 

An EXTENTION CORD for power supply (important).
Polarizing light microscope with illuminator
Stereo light microscope with illuminator
Tweezers (3, 3c, 4, 5, or 7 preferred)
Pen & Pencil, Paper for taking notes, and calculating the refractive index
Microscope slides (coverslips will be provided)

The instructor will provide other tools, refractive index liquids, samples, etc.

!!! You should be familiar with the articles used in the 1st and 2nd workshops (see below) - either print or download onto a device for reference during the class:

Terminology
Workshop Outline (Updated)
Koehler, Illumination and Centering
Abramowitz, Basics of PLM
Delly, Essentials of Polarized Light Microscopy and Ancillary Techniques
McCrone, Using Scope for Non-microscopist
Weaver, Rediscovering PLM
McCrone Michel-Levy Chart
MSSC Abbreviations for Casenotes with forensic TRACE

Here are some additional references (pick one) to read in advance of the workshop if you are interested in learning more theory.  This list is not comprehensive. 

Bloss, Optical Crystallography or Introduction to Optical Crystallography
McCrone, Polarized Light Microscopy
Carlton, Pharmaceutical Microscopy
Schaeffer, Microscopy for Chemists
Stoiber & Morse, Crystal Identification with the Polarizing Microscope

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Weds, February 20, 2019 at 7:00pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville.Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

This month our third Wednesday Lectureship program features Dr. Yair Rivenson an Adjunct Professor at UCLA giving a talk titled "Beyond classification: computational deep learning microscopy"

Dr. Rivenson received his B.Sc. (cum laude), M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.  During his Ph.D. he was working on implementation of computational imaging techniques for coherent imaging applications. Following the conclusion of his Ph.D. in 2013, he has joined Prof. Zalevsky’s Electro-Optics group in Bar-Ilan University, where he was gradually exposed to the field of biomedical imaging. At July 2015 he joined Prof. Aydogan Ozcan’s Nano/Bio photonics Laboratory at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a postdoctoral fellow through the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Global Fellowship (Bar-Ilan University/UCLA). His current research topics include design and implementation of deep learning inspired hardware and software for computational imaging applications.

Beyond classification: computational deep learning microscopy

In recent years, deep learning has redefined the state of the art, surpassing human performance for a myriad of classification and recognition tasks. We will discuss the emerging field of application of deep learning for computational microscopy, with the unique challenges and opportunities created by this framework. Amongst the applications, we will demonstrate enhancement of brightfield benchtop microscope images, extending their resolution, depth of field and field of view. We will then demonstrate the use of deep learning to super-resolve beyond the diffraction limit and perform cross-modality imaging in fluorescence microscopy, i.e., transforming an image acquired using one microscope to match an image acquired using a different microscopic imaging modality, while improving the signal-to-noise ratio, throughput, and reducing phototoxicity.

We will also discuss the extension of the framework for mobile, smartphone-based, microscopy, matching the imaging performance of a smartphone microscope to a laboratory grade benchtop microscope, eliminating spectral distortions, increasing signal-to-noise ratio and enhancing resolution, even for highly compressed images, that can be used in devices deployed in low resource settings areas. Other than that, we'ill demonstrate the application of virtual histopathology staining, where a deep network can learn how to digitally stain a single, label-free (unstained), autofluorescent image to match the same image of the tissue section as it would have been histologically stained (for example, using H&E or Masson’s Trichrome stains) and imaged using a brightfield microscope. By that, this technology enables a paradigm shift in the diagnostic workflow, bypassing the laborious and lengthy process of histochemical staining, while allowing tissue preservation. 

Finally, we’ll demonstrate how deep learning can be used to substantially increase the throughput of coherent (such as holographic) imaging systems and demonstrate some of the opportunities that deep learning brings to that field.

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Weds March 20, 2019 at 7:00pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville. Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

This event will be the rescheduled meeting originally planned for January 2019. It is the third in the three-part class on How to Use the Polarizing Microscope (the first part was held in September, second in October 2018).  If you intend to participate in the class and you don’t have a polarizing microscope, please let the MSSC President know so we can try to have extra stands available. 

How to Use the Polarizing Microscope,
Workshop presented by Wayne Moorehead

Using the Polarizing Microscope (MSSC workshop) This workshop is a reduction from a semester long course crammed into 3 sessions. Clearly, much will be removed due to time constraints, but essential components will be briefly covered:

Myths of the Microscope
Light & Optics   
Crystallography & Polarized Light Microscopy
Terminology 1 and 2      
Using PLM to identify unknowns
Isotropic crystals             
Uniaxial crystals
Biaxial crystals  
Microcrystal tests
Recrystallization & Fusion melts

                
Workshop 1 (Sep 19, 2018)
Myths of the Microscope
Light & Optics
Crystallography & PLM
Setting up the Polarized Light Microscope Terminology 1 Using PLM to identify unknowns Isotropic crystals
 
Workshop 2 (Oct 17, 2018)
Using PLM to identify unknowns
Refractive index determination of isotropic particles Microcrystal test example Terminology 2
 
Workshop 3 (Jan 16, 2019)
Uniaxial crystals
Biaxial crystals
Using PLM to identify unknowns
Refractive index determination of uniaxial crystals Fusion melt example

Important List of Supplies:

The following is a list of supplies and items you should bring to the meeting.  If you don’t have every item, just bring what you have.  If you have nothing on the list then just bring yourself and partner up with another member. 

An EXTENTION CORD for power supply (important).
Polarizing light microscope with illuminator
Stereo light microscope with illuminator
Tweezers (3, 3c, 4, 5, or 7 preferred)
Pen & Pencil, Paper for taking notes, and calculating the refractive index
Microscope slides (coverslips will be provided)

The instructor will provide other tools, refractive index liquids, samples, etc.

!!! You should be familiar with the articles used in the 1st and 2nd workshops (see below) - either print or download onto a device for reference during the class:

Terminology
Workshop Outline (Updated)
Koehler, Illumination and Centering
Abramowitz, Basics of PLM
Delly, Essentials of Polarized Light Microscopy and Ancillary Techniques
McCrone, Using Scope for Non-microscopist
Weaver, Rediscovering PLM
McCrone Michel-Levy Chart
MSSC Abbreviations for Casenotes with forensic TRACE

Here are some additional references (pick one) to read in advance of the workshop if you are interested in learning more theory.  This list is not comprehensive. 

Bloss, Optical Crystallography or Introduction to Optical Crystallography
McCrone, Polarized Light Microscopy
Carlton, Pharmaceutical Microscopy
Schaeffer, Microscopy for Chemists
Stoiber & Morse, Crystal Identification with the Polarizing Microscope

back to Program of Events

Weds April 17, 2019 at 7:00pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville. Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

Lectureship Title: “Minerals, Microbes, and Mars”

Abstract:
Aaron Celestian is the Curator of Mineral Sciences at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Adjunct Associate Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California, and Affiliate Research Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  He will be talking about how minerals can act as a preservation chamber for biological material, and how understanding the mineral-microbe interactions on Earth can help elucidate similar processes that may be happening on other terrestrial solar system bodies.  

Weds May 15, 2019 at 7:00pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville. Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

The Pond Life program is undoubtedly one of our best attended and most exciting hands-on meetings! This is the event that you bring in your microscope (if you have one) and a samples of pond water obtained from your neighborhood: basically pond water, ditch water, puddles, fountain water or any other natural water samples. If you don’t have a pond source then just come and enjoy the collections brought in by others. We hope to have water samples from all over southern California. This is a fun, hands-on meeting, and one at which we'll hope to see new and exciting discoveries.

Suggested equipment list: water samples, microscopes, illuminators and pipettes and tools to play with the water samples. (Extra microscopes are always a good thing to bring for guests to use.)

If you have books or publications that identify Pond Life then do bring those along as well.

Check out the amoeba to the right, courtesy of www.micrographia.com.

Here's a video by Tom Jones showing pond water organisms filmed at the Microscopy Society of Southern California, May 2015, Pond Life Meeting in Santa Monica, CA. The specimen is lake water collected from Lake Gregory, in Crestline, CA., with a 20um pore size plankton net. Two different microscopes were used. The Rotifer is probably Synchaeta sp. and is shown in dark field using an Olympus BH-2, 1.67x projection eyepiece, DCD condenser, mag changer set at 2x, and a DPlan 20x objective. The second and third parts of the video show Stentor sp., also in dark field, using an Olympus SZH Research Stereo Microscope, DF Plan 1x objective, ILLD illuminator base set to dark field, SZH-PT phototube with a 1.67x projection eyepiece. Zoom magnification was set at 64x. A Tucsen TrueChrome II camera at 1080p was used for all parts of the video.

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Weds June 19, 2019 at 7:00pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville. Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

This month, MSSC President, Jim Solliday, will provide an account of the McCrone Inter/micro conference that was held in Chicago last week.  Jim was chosen as the recipient of the August Kohler Award, presented by the State Microscopical Society of Illinois.  He acceptance lecture focused on microscopy and Jim's work dedicated to the topic. His presentation illustrated the history and activities of MSSC. Jim will revisit this presentation at our meeting, providing members not only with a chance to learn the “official” history and origins of our Microscopical Society, but also see how they were presented to others at the McCrone conference. 

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Weds July 17, 2019 at 7:00pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville. Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

This month, This month, MSSC President, Jim Solliday will be provide a presentation entitled “Dinosaurs Under the Microscope”.  This is the first results of a long-standing study to investigate the recent claims of original proteins found in fossils from both the Cretaceous and the Jurassic.  What does this material look like and is it super rare or surprisingly common?  High resolution images have been acquired from fossil material that will let you decide for yourself if dinosaur tissues are still recoverable for study. 

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Weds, August 21, 2019 at 7:00pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville. Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

No matter how good your health is today, we will all be dealing with the physical and biological issues of aging.  To be prepared we need to learn all we can now, if you’re already dealing with age issues then this information will be even more important.  If you have a friend or family member who needs this message then make sure to invite them. We are very pleased to have as our guest speaker Dr. Bruce Mutter.  

Lectureship Title: “Extending Life, Chemistry of Human Aging.”

Abstract:
Why do we get old?  We plan to discuss research into the biochemical and physiological mechanism of aging including some important prevention strategies.  The research includes addressing the frailty cycle.  Depending on time we may get into a discussion on the blue zones, seven geographic areas of extreme longevity in the world and lessons they have for us.  

Weds, September 18, 2019 at 7:00pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville. Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

This month our third Wednesday program with fill the need of members who enjoy selling, trading and buying items that represent their interests.  Every year we dedicate at least one gathering that provides us with the chance to find something of interest that we may have been looking for.  It also provides us the chance to pass things on that we are no longer using.  Every year there seems to always be bargains that are not available anywhere else.  Do plan on bringing in items you would like to place on the table and make available for sale to other members.  We plan on having a table set up for any member that needs exhibit space to share with the group. 

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Weds October 16, 2019 at 7:00pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville. Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

A month earlier than usual...

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.

This year’s PRIZE! In the past we conducted an internal member vote on the best exhibit of the evening. We will be doing that again this year with the prize been of significant value to anyone interesting in micro-techniques. The Prize will be The Particle Atlas Vol 1, Edition two. Rare with a retail value of $150.

If you do not have an exhibit then please just come and see the tables and take advantage of the chance to sit down at the microscope with friends.

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Weds November 20, 2019 at 7:00pm, Wildwood School in West LA, 11811 Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90064 (map). Access is on Mississippi (one block north of Olympic) between Westgate and Grandville. Enter the alleyway between Westgate and Grandville on Mississippi and there is covered parking.

This meeting will feature guest speaker Thomas Weston, a UCLA Research Associate and winner of the 2019 Microscopy Today Micrograph Award. He has been working on techniques for colorizing TEM images. Something that is more difficult than you would think.

CHANGE OF SPEAKER FOR TONIGHT'S MEETING!

Dr. Gregory will provide his splendid 3D demonstration on the Anatomy and Structure of the human Brain. This is quite impressive as a 3D image will be projected providing a view of the brain that you have likely not seen before. Special glasses will be provided. Frankly, there is nothing more important to all of us then our brain, this will provide a perspective that will leave you with a better understanding of what’s going on up there.

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No December meeting, instead the MSSC Holiday Banquet, Dec 14, 2019 5 - 9:30pm, Earth Wind & Flour Restaurant, 2222 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Come and celebrate the completion of another wonderful year with fellow MSSC members. Dinner cost $16-25, bring cash. All members and their guests welcome.

After dinner, we will present our annual report on the state of the Society followed by our special Christmas art under the microscope program: 

What’s New Under the Microscope by Danielle Parsons
Danielle Parsons, filmmaker and founder of the streaming channel, Wonder Science, will present highlights of her microscopy footage. Particular attention will be given to recent collaborations with fellow MSSC members, Alan deHaas and Tom Jones."

RSVPs to MSSC President required.

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