The New York Microscopical Society has been in existence since 1877. In that time, it has gone from a genteel club for gentlemen scientists and enthusiasts to a club for all of those interested in microscopy- be they forensic scientists, geologists, hobbyists, educators, photographers, and hobbyists. Our membership includes people who have worked with microscopes for decades and those new to the field. Our common purpose is the promotion of all phases of microscopy, for education, professional reasons and for pleasure.
Over almost 150 years, the Society has collected a trove of books, magazines, microscopes, components and accessories. We have a large collection of fully functioning microscopes, including about 30 beautiful working antiques. Members have donated thousands of slides, some representing their life’s work in microscopy. We also have a large collection of a great variety of unmounted specimens.
Many things have changed since NYMS’ late 19th century beginnings, but our goals are still the same. We also offer our Members and the interested public technical courses and workshops in applied microscopy, relevant optical theory, and related sciences and technologies. We conduct microscopy workshops for children and families, often at schools and in parks, and in collaboration with collegial scientific societies and public agencies. We arrange field trips from time to time. Please see our Events page for our current and future schedule, and for dates, visuals, and sometimes topical texts, from prior events.
Our regular schedule of activities paused because of covid, but we’re gearing up again with plans for courses, social gatherings, awards and fun. Our headquarters in Clifton, New Jersey (reachable by NJ Transit trains) will soon be open for meetings and individual work. We have a large collection of microscopes and supplies which will be open to members at regular intervals. At the moment we regularly run events coordinated with the NYC Urban Rangers and have attracted the interest of many individuals- adults, children and even park rangers.
We encourage anyone with an interest in microscopy to join NYMS!