Every other Saturday, Science Room, New Roads School (see map)

Alan deHaas will be available for informal Hands on Workshops.

Saturday, March 20, 2004, Science Room, New Roads School at 9.30 a.m. (see map)

Pierrino Mascarino will give a practical workshop on fresh water microscopic life, "I Would I Could Know What Swimmeth Below." Its Spring and Southern California waters are replete with microlife: vermillion-eyed Cyclops, Daphnia, colonial Volvox, Protozoa, Dilepsis anser, Ciliate, Rotifers, Clam-shrimp, and more. Reino will provide beakers of freshly netted pond and river water full of wonders and guaranteed to contain the real live goods. Bring along a stereo microscope, petri dishes, small jars, pipettes or eye droppers, slides and coverslips (including some well slides if you have them), dissecting needles, and watch glasses. Reino will provide a selection of identification books.

Saturday, April 17, 2004, Science Room, New Roads School at 9.30 a.m. (see map)

Alan deHass will give a practical workshop on preparing chemical-crystal mounts for study under polarized light. Chemicals will be on hand alone with slides, covers, hot plates and alcohol lamps. If you have a specific substance you wish to mount please bring it along with extra covers and slides. It would be helpful to bring your scope with polarizers, but if this is not possible some equipment will be available at the workshop.

Saturday, May 15, 2004, Santa Monica Collage, Science Building in Room 138 at 9.00 a.m.

Ed Tarvyd will give a practical workshop on illuminating marine life. His collection includes sand specimens from across the globe, as well as materials recovered from the bottom of the Long Beach Harbor, including bryozoan clusters, jellyfish with their nematocysts (which are the stinging cells from the tentacles of the jellyfish) and other tide pool creatures. If possible bring along a suitable microscope and illuminator, and covers and slides to view the specimens. A few microscopes will however be available for those without access to one.

To reach Santa Monica College exit the Santa Monica Freeway at Bundy Drive South and go under the freeway south until you get to Pearl St. Next, turn right and go about 19 very short blocks until you get to the College. Turn right on 20th St. and the No.1 parking lot is along that entire block. The science building is not to far from the corner of Pearl St. and 20th St.

Saturday, June 19, 2004, Science Room, New Roads School at 9.30 a.m. (see map)

Ed Jones will lead a workshop on identifying animal species from the morphological characteristics of their hair and the art and science of hair comparison under the microscope. Several textbooks covering the identification of animal hair will be available, with many photomicrographs of animal hair. Ed will provide samples of hair for attendees to use to make slides. Please bring with you a biological brightfield microscope with 10X and 40X objectives, blank slides and coverslips, mounting media and fine forceps. Coverslips for the longer hair samples should be 50mm x 22mm or 60mm x 24mm. A normal 1" x 3" glass slide is 25mm x 75mm. If you use a mounting medium such as Permount or balsam, you will also need to bring along a slide tray to transport home your wet slides - it takes a couple of says for them to dry fully. If time permits Ed may show you how to make scale casts showing the cuticle structure of different animals hairs. Ed will provide the necessary nail polish and acetone for making scale casts.

Saturday, July 24, 2004, New Roads School at 9.00 a.m. (see map)

This will be a practical workshop on mounting diatoms. The diatoms will be provided. Hot plates will also be available. You will need to bring along a suitable microscope and illuminator, and covers and slides to view the specimens, as well as some high refractive mounting medium (Jim Solliday is making an order for this, so contact him if you require some.) A few microscopes will also be available for those without access to one.

Field trip to Cabrilo Marine Museum, TBA

We are planning a field trip to the Cabrilo Marine Museum. Watch this space for further details. [This happened in 2005.]