Introduction to Nanotechnology students at West Los Angeles College (WLAC) had a unique opportunity in today’s class to learn how to operate a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a powerful microscope used in many modern labs. Students learned how to prepare samples, load them into a special vacuum staging area, and acquire images of their microscopic and nanoscopic details. Obtaining well-resolved images of the hexagonal patterns on the eye of a bee was a student favorite.
We would like to thank the Hitachi Inspire STEM Education Program for lending us the SEM. Without this program, most community college students would not have the opportunity to use such cutting-edge, sophisticated microscopy equipment.
