Dr. Amanda Foster

Learning how to stain a microscope slide to see cells more clearly is the single most important skill you can pick up as a beginner microscopist. I have spent years teaching students, hobbyists, and curious adults how to get crisp, colorful cell views from basic kitchen-table setups, and the difference between an unstained slide and … Read more

I still remember the first time I watched a high school student lean in to see their own onion root tip slide under the microscope. The room went quiet, and someone whispered, “I can actually see the chromosomes.” That moment is exactly why learning how to make a squash slide of onion or plant tissue … Read more

Learning how to use a compound microscope’s coarse and fine focus correctly is the single skill that separates a blurry slide from a sharp, usable image. I remember my first biology lab session – I spent ten minutes cranking the wrong knob and ended up with a cracked slide. After teaching microscopy to first-year students … Read more

Air bubbles are the single most common frustration I see when teaching newcomers to prepare a microscope slide. The good news: they are almost always preventable. In this guide, I will walk you through exactly how to avoid air bubbles when lowering a microscope coverslip, from the science behind why they form to a step-by-step … Read more

Learning how to calculate total magnification on a compound microscope is one of the first skills every biology student and lab technician needs. The process is simple once you know the formula, but the details around objective lenses, oil immersion, and practical limits can trip people up. Total Magnification = Eyepiece (Ocular) Magnification x Objective … Read more

A single drop of pond water contains an entire world that your eyes cannot see. When you view pond water microorganisms under a microscope, you step into a hidden ecosystem teeming with paramecia, amoebas, rotifers, algae, and countless other tiny life forms darting, spinning, and crawling across your slide. This is not a new discovery. … Read more

Want to see your own biology up close without leaving the kitchen? I’ll show you exactly how to observe cheek cells at home using a basic microscope, a few household items, and one widely available stain. This is the same wet mount technique science teachers use, and you’ll be looking at your own living cells … Read more

If you have ever wanted to peek inside a living plant cell without expensive equipment, learning how to look at onion skin cells under a microscope is the perfect place to start. I have walked dozens of students through this exact procedure, and the moment they see those brick-shaped cells lined up under the lens … Read more

Learning how to seal a wet mount slide to make it last longer is one of the most practical skills in microscopy. An unsealed wet mount typically dries out within hours, leaving you with a dried, shriveled specimen that is impossible to study. With the right sealing technique, that same slide can last anywhere from … Read more

If your microscope image looks darker than usual, has dim corners, or shows a bright hotspot that you cannot seem to balance, you are not alone. I have watched new lab members lose entire afternoons chasing a single dirty objective or a lamp filament that drifted out of position. The good news is that almost … Read more