Above: Some of the class microscopes in various states of dismantlement.

It goes without saying, to get the very best out of a microscope you need to know how to optimise and maintain its performance. That said,  you’d be surprised just how many microscopists don’t know how to properly set up and maintain their microscopes.

Recently, we run our first  microscope maintenance course as part of Cardiff University’s Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme.  We can’t tell you who it was for; but suffice to say, they use microscopes a lot in their work. The two day course covered the basics of light microscopy and the procedures necessary to keep a microscope squeaky- clean and correctly aligned. The practical element of the course saw delegates clean, rebuild and align both upright widefield and stereo-zoom microscopes. 

Pleasingly, the course was well-received with very good to excellent feedback. Thanks to all who participated on the two busy but  enjoyable days. Thanks must also go to our undergrad students for soiling and mis-aligning the microscopes ahead of the course – they did a far better job than we ever could ; )

Further reading:

• Zeiss: The clean microscope.

AJH.