Ever since my first introduction to optical microscopy, I’ve been fascinated by the incredible visual display that petrographic microscopy offers. This aspect of Earth Science research is a common research technique and involves looking at very thin slices of rock (thinner than a strand of hair!) under the microscope, with a variety of specialised lighting conditions. Whenever I’ve shared images of rocks and minerals under the microscope, the beautiful colours and shapes are appreciated by geoscience enthusiasts and non-geoscience folk alike.
Sharing the beauty of optical microscopy with the public is challenging. Microscopes are heavy and expensive. This has motivated me to created a fully 3D printable slide viewer that allows anyone who makes it to ‘view the rock world’ of rock and mineral microscopy.
I am also hoping that by participating in this outreach project, young scientists in training will get to discover a fascinating aspect of Earth Science research that differs strongly from most stereotypical geosciences activities, often associated with outdoor experiences.