Exploring the Microscopic Realm: Sessions by Manoj Mathew
What we learn with pleasure we never forget. - Alfred Mercier
That’s the pleasure I was privileged to have as I got the chance to attend sessions taught by Manoj Mathew, PhD at Ashoka University’s Lodha Genius Programme.
He conducted such interesting and informative sessions on the history of Optics and the basics of Microscopy, followed by another session on Fluorescence and Confocal Microscopy.
But, for me, the highlight of this class was the 'Microscope on Rails' setup, where we got hands-on experience in building our own functional microscopes using optical components, carriers and rails.
Not only did we measure the focal length of lenses, build both finite and infinite tube-length imaging systems, and experiment with different condenser designs but we also identified and conjugated focal planes. We also adapted the system we created to perform darkfield imaging. And delved deep into the beautiful and captivating world of optics!