Date/Time
Date(s) – 03/24/2013
2:00 pm
Location
NYMS Headquarters
Category(ies)
2012-2013 Program Meeting — Free and Open to All
General Meeting of NYMS at 1:30 PM, before the lecture
Renowned microscopist, mentor and artist Jan Hinsch will talk about microscopy of sand in our March 24, 2013 afternoon meeting. In Jan’s own words:
“If you are an amateur microscopist in search of an inexhaustible source of specimens consider sand. Geologically, sand is defined as particles >0.0625 and <2mm. It may be of mineral origin or fragments of shells or corals. Sand is beautiful to look at, both in transmitted and in incident light with moderate to medium powers. For a more analytical view of sand the polarized light microscope is essential. When equipped with a spindle stage it is possible to measure the two or three refractive indices by immersion methods. With encouragement from Ben Glassman, I will show and discuss some micrographs of sand grains, and how and where they were taken.”
This spring and summer Jan will again instruct in NYMS’ Bernard Friedman Memorial Workshops, a basic course on light microscopy followed by an advanced course on polarized light microscopy.
About our speaker: Hamburg, Germany-born Jan Hinsch joined the microscope division of the Leitz (now Leica) Company, North America, over fifty years ago, and ever since has shared his experiences and knowledge through writing, lecturing, and teaching. He has lectured on microscopy at Inter/Micro in Chicago, IL, the McCrone Research Institute’s annual microscopy conference, at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, and at other academic and scientific institutions, and for NYMS. Jan Hinsch also has long made art using polarized light microscopy to reveal aesthetic optical qualities of crystalline materials, through the display of otherwise unseen patterns and colors. Hinsch’s goal in photography is to faithfully show what he sees in the microscope, within science’s best ethics. Jan creates images great not only for science and diagnosis, but also for aesthetic enjoyment and satisfaction, and for this he has won major prizes from Polaroid, the Biological Photographers Association, and the Woods Hole laboratory.
Jan Hinsch is a Fellow of the New York Microscopical Society and recipient of our Ernst Abbe Award. One of our truly stalwart and stellar members, Jan’s consistent leadership and participation help keep NYMS a world class resource.
Read some of Jan Hinsch’s writing: About the Use of Digital Single Lens Reflex Cameras on Microscopes, A Webcam Looking Through the Microscope, and Jan’s classic “Mating Cameras to Microscopes .”
~ John Scott, NYMS Program Chair