Aug 4 2008
Small Matters: Exploring the World of Microscopy will be officially opened by the University of Sydney's new Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence, on Wednesday, 6 August, 2008. The exhibition will investigate some of the latest hi-tech microscopy equipment available - including atom probe tomography, which creates three-dimensional images of a material's atoms - and features a selection of stunning close-up imagery created by this evolving technology.
Small Matters is a collaboration between the University of Sydney's Macleay Museum - one of Australia's oldest natural science collections - and the University's Electron Microscope Unit, which is a world-leader in microscopy and this year, celebrates its 50th anniversary.
According to Dr Jude Philp, senior curator of the Macleay Museum, visitors to Small Matters will be able to explore the science behind everyday living. "We live with the results of research and microscopy every day - from the lightness of the clothes we wear, to fillings in our teeth and metal on our glasses - but few people are exposed to where this research comes from," says Dr Philp. "With Small Matters we enter a privileged world that people outside microscopy and biological sciences rarely see."
Six different types of technology are highlighted in the exhibition, including scanning electron microscopy, which takes images of the surface of solid objects using a beam of electrons and light and laser microscopy, which provide three-dimensional images of tissues and cells. Some of the more startling applications of this technology - such as viewing minute close-ups of the reproductive organs of a huntsman spider and the lining of a fertile uterus - have been captured in a series of stunning large-format, intricately detailed images.
"It's incredibly rich imagery, no matter what you look at," says Philp. "Even a corroding piece of metal engages your imagination."
According to Dr Peter Hines, co-curator of the exhibition and EMU senior microscopist, the speed and accuracy which microscopy develops through rapid advances in information technology is phenomenal and has major implications for scientific research. "With each new generation of sensors and computers, microscopy just accelerates and we are able to generate and manipulate data so much quicker," Dr Hines says, adding that a three-dimensional image that might have taken a year to assemble five years ago, could now take a matter of weeks. "These tools are really opening up and researchers can progress so much more quickly in their understanding. The next generation of scientists is going to be very busy."
Dr Hines says that the future of microscopy lies in working with added dimensions. "We're not simply looking at flat images any more," says Dr Hines. "We are very much looking at three-dimensional images and achieving that in many ways. Many techniques are now working in the fourth dimension - time - to see how living cells and other dynamic systems change."
A hands-on table will be part of the exhibition, while works by Sydney-based artists Jenny Pollak and Stephanie Valentine, who both use advanced microscopy in their work, will be shown concurrently throughout the exhibition. A display of historical microscopes - "A Small History of Microscopy" - will also be on show in the Macleay as part of Small Matters.
Small Matters closes on 1 February, 2009.
A series of public events will be held at the Macleay Museum in association with Small Matters. These include:
- "A Curator's Tour" by Dr Peter Hines - 2pm on Monday, 18 August, 2008
The EMU's Dr Peter Hines will take visitors into the world of enormously powerful machines and microscopic matter. Free entry, all welcome. Held in conjunction with National Science Week. Bookings: (02) 9036 5253.
- Tour of the Electron Microscopic Unit - Noon to 2pm on Wednesday, 20 August, 2008.
Book early to go on this rare behind-the-scenes tour of the Electron Microscope Unit at the University of Sydney. Children must be over 10 years old and must be accompanied by an adult. Free entry, bookings essential. Held in conjunction with National Science Week. Phone: (02) 9036 5253.
- "Plant Use in Prehistory and How it Changed the World" - 6pm on Wednesday, 3 September, 2008.
Dr Judith Field from the EMU will discuss how the microscopic analysis of ancient starches has contributed to our understanding of the past and human uses of plant life. Free entry, all welcome. Booking: (02) 9036 5253.
- "The Hidden World of Nature: 400 Years of Discover with Microscopes" - 6pm, Wednesday, 10 September, 2008.
Associate Professor Guy Cox from the EMU will discuss how the history of microscopes went hand-in-hand with the history of learning about living organisms. Free entry, all welcome. Bookings: (02) 9036 5253.
- School Holiday activities at the Macleay Museum - Weekdays from Monday, 29 September to Friday, 10 October, 2008
Children from five to 10 will delve into the microscopic world from 1pm each day in the school holidays. Free entry, bookings essential. Phone: (02) 9351 2812.