News and Events
Scoping Out the Biology Department
May 3, 2006
Pat Allender, Executive Vice President of Danaher Corporation—which specializes in industrial, scientific, and professional instrumentation—has donated $30,000 in new scientific equipment to Washington College's John S. Toll Science Center.
On Wednesday, May 3, six new Leica microscopes—three compound (up to 1000x power) and three stereo (up to 40x)—were installed along with cameras, software, and laptop kits to support live digital imaging in the Biology Department laboratories and classrooms.
"This is one of the most fundamental pieces of equipment in our tool chest," said Professor Rosemary Ford. "The scopes will not be for just one class—they are our biology workhorses across the board for our students."
"These scopes will definitely enhance the teaching of biology a Washington College, from cell biology and biochemistry to developmental biology, physiology, and anatomy," said Jeff Brown, Assistant Professor of Biology.
Brown, who studies the cell-to-cell communications process in embryo development, sees other advantages for students as well.
"The digital imaging will also allow students to capture the data for reports and comparative study."
In addition to the microscopes, a new cryostat has also been installed for use by the Biology Department as well as the Psychology Department's Behavioral Neuroscience program.
Click to enlarge photos.
Sophomore biology major Alycia Moses '08 tries out the new microscopes.
Pat and Debbie Allender.
Above and below: Professor Hugh Jarrard, who specializes in neuroscience and studies the effects of pesticides on animal brains, studies a cross section of the head of a baby salmon viewed through the new Leica microscopes. The cross section was prepared with a newly installed cryostat from Leica.
Professor Jeff Brown utilized the digital-imaging microscopes to capture these images for his Developmental Biology lab.
Above: an imaginal disc, the portion of a fly larva that will grow into the wing. The blue stain indicates where a particular gene is expressed.
Below: an early fly embryo, stained to reveal its nervous system.
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