I’m delighted to announce an opportunity to take an online lichen microscopy course for beginners with Aspen Ecology!
This online lichen microscopy course for beginners will require no previous experience with microscopes. We’ll learn using live on-screen demonstration, discussion and Q&A sessions, and we’ll cover:
- How to approach the microscopic examination of lichens
- How to use stereomicroscopes and compound microscopes with lichens
- How to interpret and understand lichen structures under magnification
- How to prepare basic slides of lichen material
- How to section and stain lichen samples
- How how to deploy a couple of special lighting techniques.
You wouldn’t have to have your own microscopes to benefit from this course. Indeed, we’ll talk a bit about what sort of equipment you need to analyse lichens. If you do have your own microscopes, you could try out techniques while we discuss them, but there will also be plenty of time between sessions for you to access microscopes for practical consolidation.
Some practical matters:
- Six online sessions covering all the lichen microscopy basics
- Thursday mornings from 10.00 to 12.00 GMT (including a brief break)
- Start date of 6 March 2025
- Fortnightly meetings to allow time for practical consolidation between sessions
Please note that you should have some basic knowledge of lichens to benefit fully from this course. If you’re completely new to lichens, you might like to see whether we’re offering a basic introduction to lichens that would be more helpful for you.
The course fee is 90.00 GBP per participant, assuming a minimum of six participants. If you’re interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
