Weds January 17, 2018 at 8:00pm, at the Beckman Auditorium at Caltech

Andrei Faraon - "Flat Metasurface Optics"
The E.C. Watson Lecture Series

For hundreds of years, most optical elements like lenses and polarizers have been fabricated using carefully polished pieces of glass or crystals, and assembled in optical systems such as cameras and microscopes.  In this talk, Faraon will discuss how nano-technology enables new ways to make optical components using fabrication processes already developed in the semiconductor industry.  These nano-patterned structures, named optical metasurfaces, allow for extreme miniaturization of optical systems with applications in consumer electronics and medical devices. 

Dr. Andrei Faraon (B.S. Physics, Caltech 2004; Ph.D. Applied Physics, Stanford 2009) is Assistant Professor of Applied Physics at the California Institute of Technology.  His laboratory specializes in developing nanophotonic technologies for devices that operate close to the fundamental limit of light-matter interaction, with applications in imaging, sensing and quantum information processing.  In 2016, Faraon was named the inaugural KNI-Wheatley Scholar in Nanoscience, established by Chuck and Judith Wheatley and the Kavli Nanoscience Institute. 

This is a free event; no tickets or reservations are required. 

Directions:
Caltech (the Beckman Auditorium)
Off E.Del Mar Blvd, between S. Catalina Ave and S. Hill Ave. 
Actually you would turn into the campus off E. Del Mar Blvd onto S Michigan Ave, which would take you to the parking lot.  S. Michigan Ave is between: W. Wilson Ave and S Chester Ave. 
Address for the Beckman Auditorium is:  345 S. Michigan Ave, Pasadena, CA 911 Get off the 210 Freeway at Hill Ave in Pasadena, CA.

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Weds, February 21, 2018 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. Alan Rubin from the the UCLA Meteorite Lab. This is a subject that heavily depends on the use of the microscope, not just the polarizing microscope, but a variety of illumination techniques extending all the way to the electron-microscope. Our speaker has a life-time of experience using every type of instrument in his study of materials collected in space. There will be microscopes set up with samples for inspection. This meeting is not to be missed! Bring friends who have interest in both microscopy and astronomy.

Speaker: Dr. Alan Rubin, Meteorite Lab, UCLA.
Title: Meteorites and Minerals: Constraints from Microscopy and Geochemistry

Abstract: Among the principal tools cosmochemists use to analyze meteorites are optical and scanning electron microscopes. These instruments provide essential petrographic information that are routinely coupled with compositional analyses to decipher the history of meteorite parent bodies – asteroids, the Moon and Mars – and even late-stage processes of dying stars. The myriad processes of mineral formation in meteorites are revealed by assiduous use of microscopy.

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Weds March 21, 2018 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.

Meeting is CANCELED. Unfortunately our speaker is ill.

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Weds April 18, 2018 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 is a reschedule of that originally planned for March. MSSC's Education Officer, Alan deHaas will lead this hands-on class on 3-dimensional micro-crystals, or more commonly called Micro-Mounts. Alan will start with an informative talk on the study of crystals (mineral micro-mounts), following which he will provide practical instruction on how to prepare micro-mounts. If you have one, bring a stereomicroscope and a good adjustable lamp (or an LED flashlight) to the meeting, along with any micro-mounts that you would like to share with the group.

Abstract: The Joy of Mineral Specimens:
Wednesday 21 March 2018 we will hold a meeting devoted to the pleasures of examining Nature's perfection.  Micromounting - the joy of mineral specimens.  Please bring a stereo microscope and a good adjustable lamp (or an LED flashlight).  Alan deHaas, and maybe some of the other members, will bring in boxes of the small mineral specimens.  Much of these are from the Hudson Collection.  For those who do not have a stereo, a good quality flat field magnifier often serves quite well.  While the crystals to be observed are small, they very frequently are found covering large surfaces.  These bigger pieces are trimmed to yield chunks rarely more than 3cm and quite often just a couple of mm.  Although one might attempt to use higher power - to see more - this is often confusing and completely unnecessary.  Most observations can be made at below 30x.

Please know that while a good size hand specimen may be quite desirable, it is in the smaller crystals that the perfection of their growth can most readily be seen.  The illuminator is as important as the scope, or magnifier.  The manipulation of the light source allows for the observation of surface detail, the relationship between crystals, the appreciation of the clarity of the crystals......  Some text material will be available.  I can guarantee that there will be many "oh my", "wow" and "gee" moments.

Note: For this special meeting we will NOT be gathering in the regular projection room, rather in one of the classrooms where we will all have access to a table.  Our host, Joe Wise will show us what room to use once we arrive. 

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Weds May 16, 2018 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 20, 2018 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's lecture will be a presentation on the milkweed leaf miner. There will also be a brief presentation on using a Sony a77 with the microscope. 

Abstract:
Steven Kutcher M.A. is an entomologist, teacher, artist, and consultant who uses his skills in many different areas.   Steven teaches biology at West Los Angeles College and is known as the Hollywood Bug Man.  He has worked with insects in hundreds of feature films, music videos and commercials.  His work with spiders can be seen in e Arachnophobia and Spider Man.  Steven spends some of his time painting (Bug Art) using insects as his brushes, lecturing, and doing private consulting concerned with insect problems.  A microscope is an important tool for any entomologist.  He has had to use his skills quickly resulting in a number of small inventions and discoveries.   A milkweed leaf miner infested his butterfly garden, he used a microscope to discover information about the fly.  A discussion of the life history and control of this 2mm fly (Liriomyza sp.) will be the first part of presentation and the second part of the talk will be his inventions, observations and discoveries working with insects.

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Weds July 25, 2018 (note the 4th instead of the 3rd Weds) 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's lecture is titled Experiments in Color and Contrast, Sony a77 camera.This will be a two-part meeting.

First, a short talk on the Sony a77 camera as a good option for taking photos through the microscope. Unique features will be identified along with test images that illustrate the advantages.

The second program will be “Experiments in Color and Contrast”. This program will feature a single slide, a thin section of Quartz. You will be amazed to see how many stunning images can be created from one small slide. We will illustrate what a photomicrographer can do with a wide variety of filters, selenites, polarizers, plastics, mica, and cellophane. Every technique you can think of will be illustrated. This program should provide inspiration for experimentation. You are limited only by your imagination.

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Weds, August 15, 2018 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.

Our speaker for this month will be Danielle Parsons, Founder of Wonder Science tv and  Wonder Science YouTube Channel

Lectureship sub:  Termite gut microbe’s that live nowhere else in the world

Abstract:
Inside the gut of a single termite reside thousands of species of microbe that live nowhere else in the world, and which are wholly dependent on their host for survival. The termite is entirely dependent on them for its survival, for these protozoans have evolved to digest the wood that termites infamously consume. In this presentation, science filmmaker Danielle Parsons will present a case for termites as the good guys, explain some what is known about the complex termite gut microbiome, and describe her collaboration with scientist Jared Leadbetter of CalTech to capture this award-winning footage of otherworldly organisms. She will screen video of the microbes filmed in high-definition, using several types of microscopy, mostly darkfield, including an extraordinary event serendipitously captured under the microscope!  . 

Second half of the meeting: 
Our Educational director, Alan deHaas will be presenting a brief talk on Stereo Microscope.  The information to be covered is best summarized with the word “STEREO”.  

Weds, September 19, 2018 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 is the first in a three-part class on How to Use the Polarizing Microscope.  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
Microscope slides (coverslips will be provided)

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

!!! For this Workshop, you will need access to the following materials in class - either print or download onto a device:

Terminology
Workshop Outline
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

Terminology 1 and the file Koehler Illumination and Centering should be printed or have electronic access to use it at the workshop. Your life will be more difficult without them during the workshop.

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 October 17, 2018 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 is the second in the three-part class on How to Use the Polarizing Microscope (the first part was held in September).  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
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 First Workshop held in September (see above). For this second Workshop, you will need access to the following materials in class - either print or download onto a device:

Workshop Outline (Updated)
McCrone Michel-Levy Chart
MSSC Abbreviations for Casenotes with forensic TRACE

Note: The Michel-Levy chart can be visible on your phones, tablets, or laptops as well as printed although you don’t have to print it. 
The abbreviation pages are for your note taking.  Attendees should have paper and pencil/pen for taking notes to determine the refractive index. 

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 November 14, 2018 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 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 8, 2018 5-9:30pm, Earth Wind and Flour Restaurant.

Come and celebrate the completion of another wonderful year with fellow MSSC members. Dinner cost $10-20, bring cash. All members and their guests welcome.

After dinner, we will present our annual report on the state of the Society, including plenty of highlights from 2018.  Our special Christmas art under the microscope program titled "Kaleido-Microscopy" will be presented by Prof Richard Weinberg, USC Cinema & Imaging. 

RSVPs to MSSC President required.

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