Is Microscopy Dead? by mol smith July 2013                 {PAGE 3}

It was 1993, aged 43, I first looked down a microscope. With a poor formal education in the UK, most of life for me had been getting out there and earning money by self-learning and without any formal qualification to help. I seemed to have missed out somewhere on the entire notion of microscopic life. I thought the only things 'down there' were amoebas! My first look and that was at pond life filled me with awe. It was such a biggie. It encouraged me to want to contribute in some small way and after making contact with David Walker, we found a way... a start. I believe other young people are missing out despite better education, because we don't do enough to excite them and inspire them in a way which competes effectively with their new toys and ill-conditioned perspectives on life. Do I sound old? I hope so. The old should be wise and help mentor the young to live full and interesting lives.

Rotifer: Keratella (stained)

Water beetle

I make movies now. At least I do when I'm not attending to the demands of our web site. My first feature film cost me a fortune to make and I'll probably never see a profit let alone my money back.

It's about to be picked up by a distributor in the USA so at least it will get a formal release. What making that film did give me though is this: it taught me how to make movies and how to write scripts which create those movies.  Do you see where I'm going with this? So... after I complete the second film I'm making {Dark Matter}, I intend to write a script for a movie where all the action takes place in a microscopic environment. I'm no Spielberg, but I can write a film script well.

I might need some help from you to spec and cover background information and advise me on the nature of some of the things you have studied. Hey... it can be our film: a collective endeavour!

It's probably the single thing which could ignite passion and interest in a whole new generation of people and guarantee a future for the pursuit of microscopical study and interest. Yes, it will be at a surface level, I know, for the audience at large, but you can bet your brand new trinocular that amongst that throng, many new seeds will be sewn into many bright minds like nothing before. Remember, microscopy for the masses started out a fascinating form of entertainment in Victorian homes to amuse the family. The past can repeat itself in novel ways. Like to help? Then drop me a line and comment to me please.

Arrenurus water mite
 

  <  PREVIOUS                             CREDITS >