Vanessa Mechem

The microscope image is of microorganisms collected from the turtle pond on Caltech campus. The sample was obtained around 7:30 by TAs by sticking a falcon tube in the turtle pond on 4/8.


 1.What are the microorganisms in the picture? 2. Are these microorganisms found in other water pond across campus?


 We could answer these questions by obtaining a better microscope, through which we could take a closer look at the organelles and attributes of the microorganism(s) to help classify it. If we collected other pond samples from the rest of the Caltech campus (such as the pond in front of Baxter Lecture Hall), we could see if these microorganisms are common.

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="57258253_346841279508215_3622833840780738560_n" class="wp-image-141125 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="141125" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="57258253_346841279508215_3622833840780738560_n" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_141123/57258253_346841279508215_3622833840780738560_n.jpg"/>
</figure>

Pond Organism

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="20190510_102317" class="wp-image-148996 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="148996" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.7","credit":"","camera":"SM-G950U","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1557483797","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.25","iso":"1000","shutter_speed":"0.1","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="20190510_102317" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_148988/20190510_102317.jpg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Picture of pollen taken with foldscope
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 The pollen was collected from the yellow-orange flowers outside Page House at 10:15 AM on 5/10/2019.

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="20190510_103030" class="wp-image-149001 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="149001" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.7","credit":"","camera":"SM-G950U","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1557484230","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.25","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.0060975609756098","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="20190510_103030" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_148988/20190510_103030.jpg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Picture of location where pollen sample was obtained
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 The pollen sample was obtained by gently brushing the anthers of the flower.

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="image" class="wp-image-149012 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="149012" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_148988/image-4.png"/>
 <figcaption>
 Picture of flower from which the sample was taken with the anthers circled in red
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 The ball lens of the foldscope appears to be approximately 1 mm in diameter. Judging from the picture of the pollen under the foldscope, approximately 15 pollen grains could line up end to end to fill the diameter of the foldscope. Thus a single pollen grain appears to be 1/15 = 0.067 mm or 67 micrometers in diameter. Given that the foldscope magnification is 140 x, it is reasonable that the pollen grains would appear to be this size.

Vanessa Mechem

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Pond Organism

Pollen on Caltech Campus

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Type of Sample

Foldscope Lens Magnification