Hello from the Hudson Valley!

[Sliding Focus]

Hello!

I currently work as a field technician for a small agroecology research non-profit, where I catch and identify insects in support of my organization's research projects. I am teaching myself to identify parasitoid wasps, and I developed an interest in acquiring my own stereomicroscope last year when I began to feel limited by the one I use at work (an Olympus SZ3060), which has less magnification and resolution than is ideal (and sometimes necessary) for identifying chalcids and other very small wasps beyond the family or subfamily level. I ended up purchasing a Bausch & Lomb StereoZoom 7, a decision influenced in large part by information I found on this forum. It has been just as useful for advancing my learning as I had hoped, and since I transitioned to working from home due to the pandemic, having it around has also turned out to be quite convenient for my work day-to-day.

My other interests include outdoor recreation (hiking, canoeing, camping), birding, photography, and contra dance (sadly out of the question for now!).

I joined to seek advice as I build out my system, and also in the hope that, though I have relatively little knowledge about and experience with microscopy, I can give something back to the community here.

All the best,
Kendrick