Part 1: Testing out the Foldscope
First, to get used to looking through the Foldscope and practice adjusting the magnification, I used some fibers and lint from my shirtsleeve and dry mounted them onto a slide. I used my iPhone to look through the lens, first at 1x on the camera (image 1), and then at higher magnifications in order to focus on the objects within the field of view (image 2), rather than have the image encircled by the dark field of the scope.


(exciting, isn't it?)

Part 2: Wet Sample - Eco Trails Lake
For the next part of the exploration, I wanted to look at some freshwater samples from the lake in Eco Trails.


The results of this sampling were not particularly spectacular. In addition to some focusing issues, I believe that I did not sample in a very good area of the lake (near the shore where the kayaks are launched). However, some unidentifiable green matter can be seen in the field of view.

Part 3 - Wet Sample - Tree Pollen by Building 51
For the final part of the exploration, I wanted to observe some pollen through the Foldscope. I crushed a piece and saturated it with water with the hopes of being able to better visualize small structures in this way.


With this sampling, I was able to see what I had intended on capturing. The primary issue with the pollen was that the pieces were a little too large for careful observation with the Foldscope.

In conclusions, I would need to work a little longer with the Foldscope to get the hang of it, and develop/find better sampling methods in order to see better results.