MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I have to agree with the wisdom of Leitzcycler. As a postdoc I wrote some NSF grants that scored higher than my advisor's, but I didn't have a tenure track job so I didn't get the money. I took a job in a University computer center for double the money and only a 40 hour week. I did my research on ...

a mixture of their own curiosity and determination -- and luck in terms of the opportunities that presented themselves -- shaped their careers. Now "luck" is a bit like the golfer Arnold Palmer on the topic -- the more he worked at his game, the luckier he seemed to get. I’ve always considered myse...

However, the key ingredients for becoming a successful researcher are totally different. They are curiosity, infinite wish to learn and invest in learning even "boring" and difficult science branches (as mentioned by others above), huge investment of time at the expense of almost everything else (a...

Interesting questions and I am very happy to hear you have passion for science and research. I have always had the feeling I am not very smart. Despite of that I have background in biochemistry and molecular biology and have more than 25 years of experience in lab work. In my career there has been ...

It is an onion! Indeed! I also stained the sample by using blue ink as described in a video by Oliver Kim. Btw, does anyone know a way to make the image appear smaller without manually changing its resolution in Photoshop? Beautiful image! I use Canva for quick image editing. Pretty basic stuff, yo...

It never fails to leave me in awe when I see how beautiful the microscopic world is. Amazing picture, thank you for sharing this.

Where are you located? A couple of other UC campuses have opened up or expanded virus testing labs -- especially the ones with a med school attached -- and might have lab assistant openings. UCSF, Berkeley and Davis come to mind. Im located closer to Davis, and I'll have to look into what they have...

Absolutely stunning photos, thank you for sharing.

The kind I have used in the classroom have been 5x, 10x, 50x, and 100x magnification which I like, but I do wonder if I need something better? Not really sure what to look for when buying a microscope. Let me know what you guys think. Thank you. I assume these are the factors marked on the objectiv...

Forum guru PeteM lives near the Bay Area, so would know what is available near you, and has also put together a very nice comprehensive pdf on microscope brands that he will provide if you ask him. Also the subject has been dealt with many times here, you might try searching the forum for similar p...

Not sure where in the Bay Area you are, but I heard just yesterday that UCSC (Santa Cruz) was looking to staff it's new SARS-2 virus testing facility -- rather than the PhD students now volunteering. Plus of this is that the program is being run by a bunch of microbiology researchers - could well m...

I concur with wporter. I got involved with computing after doing a ANOVA on a calculator, and vowed never to do that again. Sir Ronald Fisher, a genius biologist, invented ANOVA to test fertilizers on corn. Much of statistics has it origin in biology. The grease in my Zeiss I used in grad school ha...

What is the hardest part about being a bio major? The hardest part of any college regimen is possibly just putting up with the courses that you have no interest in, but must complete anyway. Part of the rite-of-passage that is going to college: proving to future employers that you can do the work a...

May I ask about yourself? Are you in a bio related field? What got you into this forum? I'm a 70-yr-old retired engineer who likes to fuss with microscopes, and got my bio degree (M.S.) late in life (at 55!), as what might be called a lifelong learner, at the local Cal State campus (and was self-em...

I am a biologist in evolutionary biology with a minor in computer science. I think it is important for a bio student to have a trade. My computer skills is a bigger share of my income than my bio teaching. Between ecology and microbiology I would choose micro. You will have skills useful in a lab a...

So, you have some fairly clear goals. If you plan in the future to enter a Master's program at a place like Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, I would be fairly targeted in what I do between now and then. As Bill pointed out, getting hands on work in the biological sciences can only benefit your ski...

Hello everyone! Just a bit curious about what kind of microscope I should get? I am interested in buying something that is decent quality but not break the bank :D . I intend on using my microscope for academic purposes. The kind I have used in the classroom have been 5x, 10x, 50x, and 100x magnific...

OK, that's good information. You might at least temporarily hook up with a state agency or the like as a helper-tester/nasal-swabber at a coronavirus testing station, perhaps as an intern or even a volunteer at a local hospital. At least in the near-term; and I know it sounds funny, but it can be a...

Thank you so much for taking your time to reply. The advice you gave is very helpful. So currently, I’m looking into getting any type of entry level lab job I can. I just want to get a start in the science field however I can. In my city there are mostly sample data entry/ sample prep jobs I can get...

Yes of course. I live in California, and I’ll be going to uni in the Bay Area.

Hello everyone, let me just say how excited I am to have found this neat website. Anyways I’m 24 and I just recently got my associates degree in natural sciences and mathematics, I’m currently job hunting for a lab tech job. After next fall I plan on going to a 4 year university, I am thinking about...