In the last trip to SF Golden Gate park – we stopped opposite of the horse riding place.. and found ourselves at the edge of a pond full of little fish. It was a perfect moment to collect some water. We were up for quiet a surprise. saw many single cell algae, bacteria, ciliates –…
Category: Nature
Things connected to observations in ecological context
Pollens of Cyanthillium cinereum
Cyanthillium cinereumPollens of Cyanthillium cinereum under foldscope
Foldscoping on a beach in Senegal – Sahel mosquito research network
I am fortunate to be in Senegal, in a beautiful coastal town of Mbour. More importantly I am amongst friends who have come together from Mali, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and two costs of US. What brings us all together is passion for mosquitoes – trying to understand and mitigate the impact they cause…
Foldscope Experiment: Cactus leaves
Used my new foldscope to explore the structure of leaves I took from a cactus plant.
A mysterious pond in Kakamega rainforest, Kenya
“We don’t get many visitors here. When people come to Kenya, they just want to see the big animals. They all go to safaris. But for me, the rainforest is much more interesting. I’ve been a guide here for almost 30 years. If more people visited, we would have more funds for preservation. We already…
Foldscope activity challenge Day 7
Feb 15th, 18:04/ Night shift street activity. It was dark already when I left home walking aimlessly hopefully to find some kids. Since I was late that day I tried to come up with more appealing excess to pass because I had long day and it was already getting dark so kids will be home…
An Inside Look at a Leaf
The above picture is an inside look at a leaf from a plant! In this photo, you can see the veins and plant cells.
Foldscope activity challenge Day 6
Feb 14th, 18:30 / Topic: Mental Health of Science Communicator.Big shopping center + Bazaar (showcase event of products) = crowd of families with kids around. I wanted to spend time with my family and do the activity there. In first glance one may assume, that day was most productive one so far, yet it was…
Citizens Science: Soil quality, Nematode Isolation & Environmental Social Justice
Why is this particular project important?
Our Citizen-Science project focuses on environmental science with a social justice cause for all individuals to participate and help with positive change. Every person deserves healthy air, access to clean water, and the ability to grow food. Unfortunately, it is not the case for everyone due to climate change and redlining(i.e., discriminatory practice where access and opportunities are withheld from individuals who reside in neighborhoods classified as “undesirable.”)
Our project is a longitudinal study to analyze the impact of climate change by taking atmospheric, soil, and nematode data and location for students, educators, and social justice warriors. All individuals participating in our project will have access to the data to innovate new technologies to improve soil quality, better intervention to adapt or slow climate change, and spotlight purposeful injustice to a local official and make positive change.
Quand la microbiologie rencontre la santé des plantes et des humains: visite de l’usine d’aflasafe, Kaolack
Les aflatoxines sont des composés produits par des champignons Aspergillus flavius. Ces toxines sont toxiques lorsqu’elles sont ingérées par l’homme, et génèrent des cancers du foie. Les enfants sont particulièrement touchés. Ces champignons grandissent fréquemment sur les cultures, résultant en une teneur importante en aflatoxines, qui se retrouve ensuite dans la nourriture. Pour cette raison,…
“Ah, this big thing is a “Loter”? Wow!!!!
“I have seen a bee” “I have seen a millipede” “I have seen a scorpion””I saw a mosquito” “I have seen an ant” I saw a sungura-mzee, “I saw a crab” “I saw a snake” I saw a bird’s feathers. “Ah, this big thing is a “Loter”? Wow!!!! The above exclamations are from primary and…
Why does the Retba lake have the color of a carrot?
The Retba Lake, also called Pink lake (“lac rose” in French) is a well-known water body in Senegal, near Dakar, the capital. The lake is astounding: it has such a bright, carrot-like color! I am also told that it is 10 time more salted than the ocean, and even more than the Dead Sea. A…
Mask
Mask
Foldscope activity challenge Day 5
Feb 13th, 17:00 / Gradually I noticed the duration of activity was decreasing day after another due to some reasons for example how I reacted to things happened and the expectations I had did not match the reality. I faced things I did not encounter them before nor thought of them, all made me feel…
Microscopy in Kenya.
On 4th February we visited schools we collaborate with to implement science, technology, engineering, arts, and maths (STEAM) programs. One such school is St John Fisher’s Mbui Njeru Secondary School in Embu County. This school has been using Foldscope microscopes to unlock unseen worlds. According to their Biology teacher Ephantus Mutiga Schrodinger, this kind of…
Snake Plant
This image was submitted as part of foldoscope project in Grade 6 where students find interesting living species at home. Source: StackPath. (2021, June 6). Gardening Know How. Retrieved January 20, 2022, from https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/snake-plant/snake-plant-care.htm