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Scanning Electron Microscope Demonstration

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:00 am
Close up of polled in green, yellow, and pink-orange shapes on a black background

Date

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:00 am
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Location

Natural History Museum
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Tickets

Free with paid Museum Admission

Join an NHM scientist at the Scanning Electron Microscope Lab to learn how we use this important tool in discoveries about our natural world. Talks meet for 30 minutes at the Lab located in the back corner of the Gem and Mineral Hall on Level G.

During the demonstration, visitors will: 

  • Get an overview of this specialized equipment’s capabilities 
  • See specimens, like a butterfly wing, in amazing detail 
  • Have a chance to ask questions directly from a SEM expert 
Spiky stem-like organisms shooting upwards in black and white

Tarantula leg

Tubular organism protruding from a circular shape in black and white

Myxicola

Rows of rectangular shapes with spiky tips in black and white

Butterfly wing

Close up of scaly tube-like organism from the side in black and white

Human hair

Kirk Fitzhugh sitting at a desk with computer monitors

NHM Scientist Kirk Fitzhugh

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Tarantula leg

Myxicola

Butterfly wing

Human hair

NHM Scientist Kirk Fitzhugh

About the Scanning Electron Microscope 
The Scanning Electron Microscope has a more powerful magnification ability than other microscopes thanks to their use of electrons. While traditional microscopes use photons (particles of light) the SEM uses electrons, negatively charged particles that have much shorter wavelengths than photons. These shorter wavelengths help reveal much finer details. It’s like the first time you watched a sporting event televised in HD–suddenly you can see the blades of grass on the field. This type of imaging has the power to help researchers understand their subjects on a deeper level, and the images they produce can help inspire wonder in our natural world. So when