Bugscope: Members Page

Live Session Transcript

Connected on 2008-12-10 12:30:00 from , PA, US

11:31am
Bugscope Team starting vac
11:42am

Bugscope Team hi andrew, welcome to bugscope, we are setting up for a session in 45 minutes
Guest hi

Guest what is this
11:47am
Bugscope Team this is a butterfly
Guest Mrs. h-t are you out there
Bugscope Team in an electron microscope
Guest that is realy neat
Bugscope Team no andrew, mrs. h-t has not logged in yet, when she does you'd see her name in red above your login name
Bugscope Team are you one of her students?
Guest yes I'm home sick and i thoughed i would log in
Bugscope Team ah okay, sorry you are sick, mrs. h-t will probably come on in about 30 minutes or so, you are welcome to stay

Guest how big do the micosopes get?

11:54am

Guest is that a fly
Bugscope Team yep, this is a common fruit fly
Guest thank you
Bugscope Team the microscope is about the size of a desk, here's a pic of it: http://www.itg.uiuc.edu/ms/equipment/microscopes/esem/

Guest that's big
Guest they look like duck feet
Bugscope Team yeah, the actualy chamber is only the size of a bread basket, but there are lots of other parts to it, and a computer too

11:59am
Guest why is there no picture

Bugscope Team ah, sometimes you'll need to refresh the screen, try hitting F5

Guest are you taken the picure now with the micro
Guest that is a neat one
Bugscope Team yep, we are making the presets for today's session, we are moving the scope to cool looking stuff, and then taking a preset picture of it

Guest wow

12:04pm
Bugscope Team This is a cool bug
Guest that looks like a stinke bug?
Guest what is that bug
Guest uh
Bugscope Team This is a beetle
Bugscope Team This is a beetle mouth
Guest that's a beetle, I can not belive that
Bugscope Team believe it or not, it's a beetle!
Guest is that a mouth too

12:10pm
Bugscope Team You were just looking at part of the beetle's mouth--a part called a palp.
Bugscope Team it has an ovipositor according to annie
Guest ok
Bugscope Team wasp head
Bugscope Team Gracias Annie.

Bugscope Team Wasp cabesa
Guest that's amazing

Bugscope Team Now this looks like a stink bug--but it is a little small
Guest wow that is so cool
12:15pm
Bugscope Team okay, presets are done, i'm unlocking the session now
Bugscope Team now we are just waiting for mrs. h-t
Guest ok
Bugscope Team you can tell that this is what we call a "true" bug because of its mouth--which is a long tube that the insect uses to suck plant juices
Guest i see it
Bugscope Team Andrew would you like to drive while no on is on yet?
Bugscope Team If we could see its wings we would see that their forewings are half clear and half leathery--that is another characteristic of "true" bugs
Bugscope Team no one, that is...
Guest yes .how
Bugscope Team The half clear half leathery wings are called hemielytra

Bugscope Team Not that anyone needs to know that but me :)
Bugscope Team hi mrs. h-t! welcome to bugscope. glad to have you back.

Bugscope Team You might want to try the click to center command--it is a little easier to use
Bugscope Team a quick reminder: can you set your screen resolution to at least 1024x768

Teacher Andrew...awesome!! I'm so glad you are with us!!
Bugscope Team Andrew is driving.
Guest hi mrs. ht
Guest that is hard
Teacher Great! Keep it up.

Guest thanks

Bugscope Team Andrew you are doing a good job driving. If you want to see more of this insect, you can press the - magnify button

12:20pm
Bugscope Team mrs. h-t, shall i give control of the scope back to you now?
Bugscope Team Andrew you may choose from among the presets if you wish, when you want.
Bugscope Team Hi Olivia!
Student hey thanks for having us!
Teacher No, the kids are still logging on here, so let andrew drive
Bugscope Team Welcome to Bugscope!
Guest you can drive again, I'm done
Guest olivia it me andrew
Student hey
Guest I'm home sick
Student that stinks
Student Alex, how big are the microscopes
Bugscope Team well, about the size of a desk in total, here's a pic of it: http://www.itg.uiuc.edu/ms/equipment/microscopes/esem/
Guest yay it is
Student hi
Student hi
Student hello
Bugscope Team Hi Beth!
Student hey
Bugscope Team Hi Beth
Student How big can the bug be?
Bugscope Team we can put a cicada in the 'scope but there isn't much room for anything else. The stage is 1 3/4" across.
Student Was it hard to remember how to use a big microscope
Student What is this
Bugscope Team welcome to bugscope everyone!
Student What is the most grossest bug you've seen?
Bugscope Team Hmm...I think fly larvae (maggots) are the grossest bugs
Student what type of bug is it?
Student Heeeeyyyy
Student hey how it going
Student whats up
Student hey
Student Does the machine shutdown sometims
Bugscope Team We generally hope that the machine only shuts down when we ask it to do so!
Student what is this thinkg were looking at
Guest rocky
Student Hello!
Student What is the most important part of the microscope
Student Hi alex
Student Is tis microscope hard to operate
Teacher Andrew, can you go to the ugly moth head preset please.
Student what is that thing
Student annie, what is the strangest looking bug you've ever seen??
Student one of my questions is what is the highest magnification on the electron microscope?????????
Bugscope Team mrs. h-t, you have control now
Student What are the scales?
Student what is the highest magnification of the microscope??
Bugscope Team it can magnify up to 800,000x, but for bugs we use 40-40,000x
Bugscope Team For me, it isn't the bug that is gross, it is what the bug is IN that is gross!
Student Alex, how far does the microscope zoom in?
Student what do you usually look at under the microscope?
Student i heard u screamed at a giant millipeed (dont know if i spelled that right
Bugscope Team scott did yes
Teacher oops, sorry
Student where are you doing this from
Bugscope Team We are at the University of Illinois, at the Beckman Institute, in the basement.
Student what is the Highest Power the Microscope can be cate?

Guest it's ok . there
Bugscope Team it was hilarious
Student how much does the microscope cost???
Bugscope Team when we bought it about 10 years ago it was $600,000
Student what is that
Student lol
Student do you have a hard job
Student Is the microscope hard to work?
Bugscope Team you could probably learn how to use the basic functions in 5 min or less
Student What are we viewing at the moment?
Bugscope Team this is the head of a moth
Student does the machine shutdown
Student That face is HUGE!!!!!
12:25pm
Bugscope Team the curly thing is called a proboscis
Guest dakota
Student joey is here
Student eewwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!
Student ok
Student what do you usually look at under the microscope????????
Bugscope Team you can look at all sorts of things: bugs, metals, bones, etc
Student is it hard to operate
Bugscope Team Not really. Scott taught me how to use all the basic functions in an afternoon. But, it could take years to know how to use the scope really well: to be an expert and to fix problems, etc.
Student what other objects can you look at under the microscope?
Bugscope Team Jeffrey, did you see that I answered your questions about the scope shutting down?
Student do you think the mr hinkle bug is funny looking
Student wow thats a lot of money for a microscope!!
Student is it difficult to position the slide?????????????????

Student that looks funny...
Student Hey andrew hows your time being sick
Student are they any other electron microscopes in the U.S.
Student controling
Guest Hey
Student where are you doing this from
Bugscope Team i'm sitting next to the scope, scott and cate are in their office, annie is on the other side of campus... we are all in urbana illinois

Student does it get confuseing somtimes
Student is this bug usually looked at

Student wow, thats really weird
Student scott what is the strangest looking bug youve ever sdeen

Student Why do you coat the specimen in mettle
Student is it difficult to position the slide???
Bugscope Team We don't use a slide. We attache the specimens to a metal stub that looks like a little table. You put the table into a holder inside the chamber and use computer commands to move the holder, which moves the stub with the specimnes
Student so cool
Student seen sorry
Student what are we looking at??
Student Can you show living cells?
Student cool
Student why do you need a vacum in the microscope?
Student these pictures are soooooo cool

Student Was it hard to learn how to use the microscope
Bugscope Team not too hard, but it takes practice and you must learn how to use it before you go willie nillie on it
Student oooooo thanx
Student are the hairs used as teeth in the moth
Bugscope Team the moth doesn't have teeth, or even need them really. It drinks liquids with its proboscis-- which is like a straw
Student what are those pointy things??
Student yaya

Student Why do you coat the bug in mettle?

Student are the things in the middle feelers
Student how long has the microscope been around?????
Student Alex, what do you think is the most interesting specimen to view?
Student Are they little hairys
Student that looks like a ton of spikes
Student how do u manually use the microscope?
Bugscope Team well, you open the sample chamber, put in your bugs, then close it, then start the vacuum, then start controlling the scope from the computer attached to it
Student is it hard to work the microscope if so WHY!!!
Student is there new models bein made
Student What is the coolest bug you've seen?
Bugscope Team Emma everyone likes something different. I like earwigs because they often have mites, and I like to see the mites. Sometimes they attach to the compound eyes.

Student This is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo coooooooooooooooooooool!!!!!!!!!
Guest is that an eye
Student whoa
Student How long does it take to prepared a slide in the electric microscope room?????????????????
Student How long did you have to go to collage for
Bugscope Team I was an undergraduate for four years and I have been in graduate school for six years.
Student Cate, why do you have to vacum out the air in the microscope
Student Why do you need a vacum in the microscope?
Student cool
Student is that the eye??
Student Is the microscope hard to work with???
Student r ther anymore electron microscopes in america??
Bugscope Team Drew there are many more electron microscopes in the US but there are relatively few like this, and we have remote control, which we added here.
Student What is your favorite bug Scot

Student Cate What is the hardest part of using the microscope
Bugscope Team the most fun part is driving around1 the most difficult part can be focusing.

Bugscope Team the hairs are call setae (see-tee) and they help the insects feel the environment around them.
Student that's so cool!!! i want one!!
Student Mrs Ht rocks you can get some really cool views
Student Why is the argon u use the color it is?
Guest what are the hairs for

Student what's your favorite bug to look at?
Bugscope Team My favorite insects are longhorned beetles--beetles with very long antennae. Those are the beetles that I study in my research
Student what is that thing that is curled
Student is that its nose curled up?
Bugscope Team yes it is curled when not in use so it won't be in the way when it flies. When it wants to use it, it unfurls like one of those party favors you blow into that makes noise
Student is that the wing?
Student do you like your job
Bugscope Team I like being an entomologist!
Student whats the black part on the eye
Student big eyelashes
Student that's cool
Student its pretty
Student thanxing
Student is that a crack in the eye???
Bugscope Team Yes!
Student cate what jobs do you usually do when your using the microscope?????
Student that thing looks like a furball
Student Why do you coat the bug in mettle?
Bugscope Team the coating makes the sample conductive for the electrons. Without the metal, we wouldn't be able to see much of an image.
Student opps

Student how big can a bag get in the electric microscpe????????????????????
Student is the eye cracked?
Bugscope Team yes, sometimes the bugs dry out and parts will crack
Guest what is that
Student what else does this machine work with besides bugs?????
Student what is the hardest specimen to see?
Bugscope Team Monica sometimes the hardest specimens to see are insects/arthropods that are really hairy, like spider mites.
Student what is the funniest lookin bug u've ever seen?
Student Hey, Alex. Is it fun to do wht u do?
Student ok
Student why are the microscopes so big
Bugscope Team there's a lof of electronics associated with a microscope
12:30pm
Student How long have you been familur with the electron microscope?
Student it look like a little fuze ball
Student CAN THE MICROSCOPE SEE ADAMS???(:
Student oh thats cool!
Student andrew its a moth!!!!!
Student scott what is the strangest bug youve looked at
Student do you think this is an interesting to work with if so Why do you think that?????????????????????????????????????//
Student do u get to disect the insects
Bugscope Team Jenae we get to dissect them sometimes, but usually we leave them intact.
Guest what joey
Student Hi Alex how far can you zoom in on a bug
Bugscope Team the scope can magnify 800,000x, but for bugs we magnify from 40x to 40,000x
Student this 8is soooooo coooooool
Student WOW

Student why doesnt anything come out in color??
Student what does SED stand for???????????????

Student do u like your job?
Bugscope Team i love my job
Student awsome!!
Student wow why is the eye cracked and how did it happen??

Student What kind of plants can you look at?
Student its moth andreww you kmow the flyin moth
Student Scot: Why do you need a vacum in the microscope?
Bugscope Team Mikael we need to have a vacuum because otherwise the electrons that come from the sample surface would bump into air molecules, and we would not get good images.
Student why do they have hair there
Student are those eyelashes?
Guest is that skin
Bugscope Team insects don't have skin, they have an exoskeleton
Student y is it indented at the top of the hair on the bug??
Student Everything looks so cool how did you make the site?
Student Cate, Have you ever viewed a LIVE speciman?
Bugscope Team No, but once we looked at a butterfly cocoon that we thought the butterfly was dead in for bugscope. After the session, the chrysalis hatched and the butterfly came out!
Student this is awsome Mrs.H-T
Student how far can the microscope zoom in????
Guest got it
Student why is there hexagons on the moth compound eye
Bugscope Team those are called ommatidia, and they are individual eye facets, each one with a lens in it. they are shaped like that so the surface of the eye can bend. pretty cool huh?
Student do u think it's a job most people should get involved in?
Student Why have u ever looke at different parts of bugs
Student why do they have haur
Guest ok
Student Everything looks so cool how did you make the site?
Student Alex do you do this for fun and for a job or just to get paid
Bugscope Team i get paid, of course, but i wouldn't do this if i didn't like it.
Student why does the moth have tounge forks on the end of the hairs?
Student Annie, do they have toungs?
Bugscope Team All insects have something called a hypopharanyx, which acts like a tongue in insects with chewing mouthparts. In other insects the other mouthparts are often modified to act as a tongue--to lap up liquids or nectar

Student that was the hed
Student Juicy? Like Blood?
Student annie, what is your favortie thing to look at?
Student Everything looks so cool how did u make the site?
Student why do the hairs look just like french fries, i want to eat one.
Student ew, is that dust?
Student Why are the tips of the hairs split?
Student hey annie, why is the ends forked?
Student what jobs do you do when working with the microscope
Student how many blood vescles do they have in there body
Guest dak
Student Do u kill the bugs or are they already dead?
Bugscope Team Danielle usually the insects are already dead, but if we have to kill them we freeze them. That does not always work, though.
Student Annie can you see a dead bag in the microscope???????????????
Student Ive never seen a moth this close up
Student whats an entomoligist do ANNIE
Bugscope Team An entomologist is a scientist that studies insects (and spiders and ticks and millipedes)
Student what is ur favorite kind of specimen to look at, that's not a bug????
Student what
Student What level of magnification is this at?
Bugscope Team look at the top right, it tells you the current magnification, right now it's at 2012x

Student andrew why are you not at school
Student what is a spericle
Student wow wat is that??
Guest i'm sick
Student it is my nicknamein potter
Student Alex do you do this for fun and job or just for being paid
Student how long do you usually work on the microsope in the day
Student ok
Student how long does it take to turn on the microscope
Student do you actually kill the bugs
Bugscope Team sometimes we do have to kill the insects. We will usually try to be nice about it and stick them in the freezer, this kills them in a painless way because the cold makes them go to sleep and then die

Student what part is this?
Student what are tthe hairs inside the eye
Student what are the dots ?
Guest be back tomarow
Student looks like a beehive in the back
Student Annie what is the funniest bug you've seen in your career?
Bugscope Team Well--the weird ones, the mimics are often really funny. One time, in Costa Rica, we caught this GIANT scarab beetle and she was pretty funny. I was in charge of watching her, and it was like babysitting a bad toddler

Student Thank you Alex!
Student what is a sperikle
Bugscope Team a spiracle is a breathing hole on the abdomen of some insects, they don't breath through their mouths, but instead through these holes on their bodies
Student how long does it take to turn on the microscope scot
Student what is ur fav bug to look at, that's not a bug?
Student Scot what are all of thoes dotes
Student dude isnt that sweet
Bugscope Team we are seeing a spiracle right now which is a breathing hole for insects. On a mammal, we would call it a nostril
Student heyy andrew do you know who i am?
Guest yay
Student alex, what is your favorite thing to look at under the microscope??
Student If you could only look at one last bug What would it be?
Student How much can this microscope zoom in?
Bugscope Team it can magnify up to 800,000x! but for these bugs, it's best at 40x - 40,000x
Guest haha
Student What kind of plants can you look at?
Student freaky!
Student how big are these inceccts
Bugscope Team You will often see little hairs inside the spiracles and they help keep particles out, just like our nose hairs do
Student what is your favorite part of your job?
12:35pm
Bugscope Team but not all at once
Student how do they breath
Student what's the smallest the bug can be??????
Student what are those little holes for?
Student cate what are we looking at??
Student thanks alex!

Student hey ari
Student what are the hears that are hanging?????????????
Student wowzer!!! what is this??

Student Is it hard to foucus a microscope
Student How many bugs can the Microscope fit?

Student how long does it take to prepare the microscope
Guest it lookes like a shoe
Student How much does the microscope cost?
Student I'm Beth but it loged me out don't knopw why
Bugscope Team try logging back in as beth again, it should work okay
Bugscope Team the hairs might help to protect dirt from getting into the spiracle

Student What are the little holes for?
Student how much space is in the chamber?
Bugscope Team we stick the insects on an aluminum disk, which is about 1 1/2 inches, so we try to fit as money insects on that as possible! Before we put the insects on, we put a piece of double stick carbon tape to help ground the charge from the electrons
Student I tried to log in but my name wuz takin'
Student whats that

Student why is the microscope so big??
Student how much money does it pay, ALOT
Bugscope Team I don't get paid much right now, because I am still a graduate student. I hope to make more money when I get a "Real" job
Student what is the biggest thing you have ever looked at
Student it seems really hairy
Student right
Student can the microscope see over 700,000 times
Bugscope Team yep!
Student how long does it take to prepare the microscope????????????????????????????
Bugscope Team oh, sometimes its fast, but if certain parts are not working, then it can take an hour or two. most of the time we can have it ready in 5-10 minutes
Student Hi Alex how much do microscopes cost $$$$$$$$$
Student do u have more than one electron microscope?
Student anni whats the strangest lookiung bug youve ever seen
Bugscope Team I kind of answered this earlier--there are some insects that mimic other insects that are really strange...like beetles that look like ants. There are also some very unusual looking flies that I have collected at blacklights and some crazily colorful beetles.
Student Is it hard to foucus a microscope
Student what is your favorite part of the Electic microscope?????????????????
Student If you turn you head ot looks like a flying pig
Student eeeewww!

Student Scot, how many people would it take to carry the scope?
Bugscope Team Allie it would take like six people to lift the heaviest parts. Somewhere there is video of me bringing the pieces in on a pallet jack.
Student What is the biggest bug you've looked at called?
Student how much money does ut pay im curious
Bugscope Team nichole, if you get a good job in the sciences, you can make anywhere from 50,000 - 100,000 per year, sometimes more
Student How many people work as getting the insects and other types of bugs?
Guest it looks like cob web

Student Why does the fly have holes at the start of the wing?
Student what is that
Student is it dead?
Student Alex how much do you think there are electron microscopes

Student WOW!!!!
Student can u look straight into the microscope?
Student what are the bubbles in the background
Student what is the hardest specimen to see??
Guest true bug
Student hey if you could focus on one insect what would it be?
Bugscope Team it would be something that isn't too plain looking. We find that simple insects like cicadas or cockroaches (because they have been around for millions of years) are very boring to look at. We like to look at insects that have more special features like fruit flies. Insects with mites on it are very interesting to us
Student How long does it take to prepared a slide?
Student isnt that a real JOBBBBB !!!!!! or do you want to major in something else
Bugscope Team No, I am happy with my major--I am a graduate student and so they just don't pay us very much...regardless of the major.

Student Andrew ocks
Student scot is it fun to work whit the microscope
Bugscope Team Dak this is a lot of fun -- we are lucky to be able to do this and get paid as well.
Student thats ALOT
Student whats a pallat jack
Student Alex is it hard to foucous such a big microscope
Bugscope Team no, it's all controlled by the software, and it's not too hard to focus
Student What's the coolest bug you've seen?
Student do you ever just look at the wing ]of a bug or do you look at the whole bug??
Guest what jimmy
Student col
Student do a lot of schools do this or is there only a few schools that do this?
Student you rock

Student Scot, what is the grossest bug you've seen?
Bugscope Team Sarah sometimes they are grossest when they are covered with web, and fungus, and bacteria.
Student thats alot right
Guest thanks
Student Cate, IS the scope dangerous at all?
Student yay we are goin to the mouth
Student Why aren't the pictures in color?
Bugscope Team the scope uses electrons to gather the images, not light, and since color is a product of light, and since the scope isn't using light, we only see in shades of grey (black and white)
Student sorry annie
Student how much do you get on your 1st paycheck

Student can you show it in Color? is that posible?
Student is it fun to play wiht it
Student im curious again
Student How old is the scope???????????????
Student arnt these cool Dak
Student alex, wat is your favorite thing to see??
Student How are we controling the microscope?
Student what are those indents in the eyes??
Student what is the hardest thing to see on the electron microscope
Student scot did u go to this university?
Bugscope Team Drew I went to the University of Kansas, and worked there, and then I worked at the University of Missouri, and then I came here.
Student Alex, is the electron microscope your favorite microscope?
Bugscope Team well, my favorite scope is the atomic force scope, but this ESEM is pretty cool too
12:40pm

Student Alex can you put live animals in the microscope
Student Do u ever go to different colleges to tell people about the scope?

Student Liz means often
Student Alex how many steps does it take to focus a microscope
Student why r there wholes in the eyes
Student whats those pointy spikes cate
Student what is the main use for this microscpe?
Student is the bugs mouth open
Student how many schools use an electron microscopes every year???? do you know??
Student what are those indents in the eyes???????/
Bugscope Team the eye is a compound eye. That means it is made up of tiny individual facets called ommatidia. Each of those parts (you see as indents) gets a part of the image and sends it to the brain
Student no andrew mouth
Student thats nasty
Student scott, why doesnt anyting come out in color??

Student how come its eyes are so big
Bugscope Team that is called a compound eye, made up of hundred of individual facets, called ommatidia
Student Cate: What kind of scientist are you?
Student How are we controling th microscope?
Guest yes
Student cool

Student what is the name of an eye for a bug
Student do they have internal organs?
Bugscope Team yes, they do, under their exoskeleton
Student alex what's the strangest looking bug youve ever seen?
Student do you ever look at frogs that are small enough to fit inside
Bugscope Team we could look at a frog, but I don't think we ever have before.
Student does hving big eyes help it survive??
Student why r there holes in the eyes
Student what are facets??
Bugscope Team facets are individual bumps on the eye, they have a lens in them, so each facet can see! pretty wild huh?
Student Andrew stop saying yes
Guest why dose it have all them little dots in the eye
Student i like the pretty high lighters!
Student that is so cool
Student do the insects have ears
Guest go in t ear
Student how big r the eyes?
Student does the fly have feelers
Student Have you ever discected an insect?
Bugscope Team I have dissected lots of insects
Student is that hair?
Student how come the legs are sooo furry
Bugscope Team insects are very hairy, those hairs are called setae (see-tee), and they are kinda like cat whiskers, they help the insect sense their environment
Student Cate, do alot of people in the USA own electron microscopes?
Student y r there holes in the eyes
Student do you disect the bugs before useing them?
Bugscope Team I dissect the insects when I use the SEM for my research. I am only interested in looking at one part of the insect body.
Student why is it all spiky??
Student Alex how many steps did it take to work the microscope
Bugscope Team gosh, there are at least 10 steps, but it changes depending what you need to do.
Student yeah that rocks
Student what is the name of an eye for a bug Annie?????????????????????????????????????????
Bugscope Team Umm...we usually call it a compound eye.
Guest hair?
Bugscope Team we would have to wait till the frog is dry before putting it in the microscope, and i think the frog would look pretty gross at that point
Student y r there holes in the eyes
Student feild
Student why does it have soo much hair?
Student do they regrow their har?
Student What kind of inscects and what's your favorite
Bugscope Team My favorite insects are longhorned beetles. That is what I study,
Student ?
Student is that the leg??
Student medical feild
Student why do you do this in the basement not in a nornal room
Bugscope Team we have it in the basement to help with vibrations. We dont want vibrations when using this microscope because we use it a lot at high magnifications and the image will bounce around if there is the slightest vibration. We keep it on an airtable which helps stabilize minimal vibrations
Student Alex, what is the grossest bug you have seen?
Bugscope Team hmm, i think true bugs are pretty gnarly looking...
Bugscope Team insects are fine when they dry out because they have exoskeletons that help keep the original shape of the insect

Guest to hear
Student Alex, can you puty animals under the microscope?
Bugscope Team well, only small ones, the maximum size of the object is 1.5 inches or so...
Student do any insects haver ears and how can you tell????????????????/
Bugscope Team Madi some insects have structures that might be considered ears. Other insects don't have earlike structures but sense sound as vibrations, using their mechanosensory setae.
Student what kind of buf\gs do you look at?
Student is that the mouth we are lookin at?
Student because they hav so many eyes , thats why it takes so long to swat them right??
Student Do you disect the bugs before you use them
Student What kind of bugs do you look at?
Student why is his face like a carpet though Annie
Bugscope Team The little setae that cover the insect's face serve several purposes. The setae can help the insect to sense its environment, and in some insects setae can serve a defensive purpose or can help other insects of the same species to recognize it as a member of the same species.
Student it is so furry in their
Student alex hoe many insects can you put in the slide???????????????????????
Bugscope Team it depends on their size, right now we have about 8-10 bugs (small ones) on the stub
Student y r there holes in the eyes

Student duz everybody send bugs in or do u get them?
Student what do Entomologist do?
Bugscope Team they study insects for a living
Student loook aty that lex!!
Teacher we're switching to the fruit fly claw
Student i forget what does an entomologist do ??
Student Scot, what do u think is the best part of the electron microscope?
Guest ok

12:45pm
Student Is the microscope hard to work with?
Student what is that Alex???????????????????????

Guest wow
Student How long have youv'e been going to the university
Student whoa!!!
Student me neither!!!
Student andrew fruit fly now
Student do those pointy things hurt if you were to touch them??
Bugscope Team no they are too small, they use these claws to help cling onto surfaces like our clothes (think of when a ladybug lands on you). they also use them to hold on to food
Student that's sooooo cool
Guest yes

Student espeshaly not fruit flys

Bugscope Team this is a claw!!! cool huh?
Student Why aren't the spikky things totally sticking out?
Student it looks lik rose thorns ouch
Student Do you guys ever have any spare time to look at the microscope, and if you do what do you do with it?
Student But isnt that what Scot alex and cate do? Study bugs?
Bugscope Team Olivia, and Madi -- Cate and I train people to do their research using electron microscopes, and not everyone studies insects, of course.
Guest yay
Student what is this
Student so they can hear
Student what sre the white things hanging over the edge?
Bugscope Team those are tenent setae that allow the insect to walk on walls. they act like suction cups
Student high can a high magnafaction create vibrations
Bugscope Team high mag doesn't create the vibrations, but if you are looking at high mag, and something ELSE causes a vibration, you will see that vibration very clearly, because you are at high mag
Student its the claw

Student it sure is alex
Student why do they need claws?
Guest yes
Student Alex how long have youve been going to the university
Bugscope Team i went to college for 8 years, and then got this job 7 years ago
Student how long does the fly last Scot
Student why does it look like there are horns on it??
Student what is ur favorite specimen to look at CATE?
Bugscope Team thats a tough one..I guess bees are fun to look at. They could have mites on them and a cool stinger to look at!
Student it looks like a claw
Guest it looks like a hole
Student why do they need calws??????????????
Student Is the scope dangerous?
Bugscope Team good question. not really dangerous, but there are some things about it you need to be careful with. we sometimes put liquid nitrogen into it, and you must be careful with liquid nitrogen
Student hello
Student why is it all stickbushy Alex
Student can they live without their claws??
Student how much does the microscope weigh?
Student what is that thing
Student Cate what is the grossest bug for you?
Bugscope Team anything squirmy (like larvae) that is alive! Sometimes we get insects from school and they are alive but we don't know till we look at them. And they sometimes play dead till you try to pick them up, which is even more gross for me because im not expecting it!
Student what jobs do you do when working with the microscope????????????????????????//
Student has a bug ever been sucked up by the vacum
Student cate, wat is your fav specimen to look at?
Student Are those probably fight marks

Student ari probally not
Student when the microscope moves positions is it lopud
Bugscope Team We can hear when a command comes to change the position of the stage, but generally the microscope is quiet, if you ignore the vacuum pumps.
Student loud?
Student thats so cool alex you must have learned alot in 8 years
Student are mites cool to look at?
Teacher I am switching to the butterfly claw so we can compare it to the fruit fly's claw we just saw.
Student it looks fuzzy!
Student what is the difference between a fruit fly and a butterfly claw???????????????
Student What do you do with the microscpe when you have spare time??????????????????
Bugscope Team we let other research use the scope, they look at all kinds of things, trying to figure out scientific questions
Student is that a leg

Student Do all of the claws look like flowers and have something sticking out of them
Student hh
Student what are those pricker thingys on the claw
Student how come it looks they have thorns on rhem

Student is the claw really sharp
Student does that hert
Student Then what else do you study using the Microscope?
Student y is the claw curvy cate?????
Bugscope Team I think it is so that when they close together, they have a better chance of grabbing onto something because they are round then if they were straight
Student In the electric microscope what does SED mean????????????????
Student Alex whats your favorite bug to look at
Bugscope Team i like mites, they are little bugs that attach themselves to bigger bugs... bugs on bugs!!!
Student i didnt know butterflies had claws eather
Guest wow
Student is the electron microscope the most expensive microscope?
Bugscope Team Jensen this is one of the most expensive microscopes. There are electron microscopes that cost $2 million.

Student it looks like a tiny thorn.. can you actually see it in real life?
Student Cate what is the most grossest bug for you?
Guest that is a butterfly
Student are those flakey things scales
Student wat r those wrinkels in the skin?

Student could the claw cut thourgh anything
Bugscope Team well yes, but only things that are very small. the claw can't hurt you...
Guest omg
Student i thought when they land on you they can bite
Student can it hert you
Student are there bugs so small that you have to use a super strong micro scope to see it Annie
Student why are the calws so sharp????????????????????????
Bugscope Team They help the insect cling to surfaces that are almost smooth
Student are those veins on the claw Cate
Bugscope Team those are just features on the exoskeleton. It could be like that so there is more contact surface for friction to with grabbing

Student Has anyone asked u why u are taking so long because that would be rude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bugscope Team taking so long for what?
Student k
Student yeah, why do butterflys need claws??????
Bugscope Team To hang onto plants so they don't get blown away by the wind
Student have you ever made a great scientific discovery while looking at the bugs??
Student whats thatthing sticking out... we was
Student andrew yea it is a buterfly
12:50pm
Student well*
Student sorta

Guest thank's joey
Student Alex, what are all of thoes spikes?
Bugscope Team the spikes are setae (see-tee) they are like hairs that help the bug sense it's environment

Student what are the gaps
Student What would happen if you were to oppen the door of the microscope right now???????
Bugscope Team the vacuum seals the door shut so you would have to be pretty strong. If you were strong enough tho, you would be blasted with harmful electrons which is no good at all! The door and around the microscope is a lead layer to protect you from radiation
Student can the claw hert you or not
Bugscope Team not really. The claws of some of the larger beetles can be a little sticky, but it doesn't really hurt too much.
Guest O.M.G
Student are the lines on it hairs
Student is the point a stinger or something???|
Student ari to grasp stuff i gess

Student whoa that is a lot of spikes or is that hair Annie
Bugscope Team I think these are all different types of setae---the stouter spikes are probably defensive or they help the insect to move around
Student r those spikes hair?????????????
Student it has so many legs!
Student Is the microscope just a little difficult?
Bugscope Team Sarah the microscope can be very difficult to use, but it is rewarding when we get great images.

Student on the top, what is that duck shaped thing?
Guest how many times is that close up
Bugscope Team right now it's at 686x
Student How big does the beetle palp get?
Student can one pearson opperate the Microscope by themslef?
Bugscope Team yep, no problemo

Student what kind of butterfly is this?????
Student ANNIE what is the strangest looking bug youve ever seen
Student how much does it cost
Bugscope Team it cost about $750,000
Student What would happen if you were to oppen the door right now?
Bugscope Team It would be nearly impossible because the vacuum is so high

Student have you ever saw something new to you through the microscope
Bugscope Team we see new things on insects all the time doing bugscope. We have seen types of mites we have never seen before, and it is possible since mites are so small that no one else has either
Student can you put a live bug in the electron microscope chamber
Bugscope Team well yes, but you don't want to because you want the bugs to be dead so they don't move around and stuff

Student what is the highest magnification on the microscope?

Student why are there spikey things
Student do you guys see exactly what we see
Bugscope Team yes, we are all seeing the same image from the scope
Student what are the gaps
Student alex did u attend this university?
Bugscope Team yep, i went to the university of illinois
Student and the spikey things after that
Student Annie, what is your job exacly?
Bugscope Team I conduct research on communication in longhorned beetles.

Student Is the microscope just a little difficult?
Student Have you ever looked at anything under a scope besides insects? ANNIE
Bugscope Team Nope, I stick to insects!
Student why isnt it in color??
Bugscope Team the scope uses electrons to gather the image, not light. since color is a reflection of light, and since we aren't using light, we have no color.

Student that is awesome annie
Student what kind of butterfly is this???????????????????????????????????????????????????///
Student what kind of objects can you see in the electric microscope???????????????????
Student can it help in the medical feild
Bugscope Team yes it can help a lot! We took images of blood cells recently for example

Student wy is the microscope so big
Student have you ever seen something new to you thruogh the microscope?
Student no i mean the presaets adn the loged on people and the questions we already asked
Student have you every lookes at bugs from Africa?
Bugscope Team I have looked at a beetle from Africa
Student wouldn't they die if they were alive anyway since it's an airles chamber???
Bugscope Team yes, but when you place a bug on the stub, you might have a particular position it needs to be in, and if it's alive it might move from that position before it died but after you put it in the scope. so we usually only put in dead bugs.
Student annie weere you in the video
Student the videos where awsom
Student are you from that video thing
Student annie are you the one from the video?
Bugscope Team hahahaa--YES!!

Student what is your favorite bug Annie??????
Bugscope Team Longhorned beetles!

Student What are those little feet?
Student is that all dirt particals on his hair Scot
Student Cate did u attend this university?
Bugscope Team yes i did. I started working in the lab when i was a student and after I graduated with a degree in physics I became full time in the lab
Guest hey by . I'm leaving. thank's for having me .see you tomarow
12:55pm
Student awsome
Student coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool
Teacher Bye Andrew...
Bugscope Team Thank you Andrew.
Student you were awesome on the video
Student What happened to the blood cells you looked at?
Bugscope Team The people who wanted to look at the blood cells took lots of images and will use them to write publications. Some of the cells were cancer cells, and they wanted to see what they looked like compared to the other cells.
Bugscope Team bye andrew, thanks for logging on with us!
Student Annie you did a really good job?
Teacher Annie, you were great in the video!!!
Student now we know what you lok like
Bugscope Team You do!!!
Student by andrew
Student bye
Student have you ever seen something new to you through the microscope??
Student by andrew see you tomorrow
Student how manny years of collage to you have to go through to be invvolved in this type of job?
Student Annie do you like your job
Bugscope Team yes very much
Student Alex, have you ever looked at a animal?
Student and were talking to you at the same time

Bugscope Team Thank you! Hahaha. I forget that video exists!
Student the mr hinkle bug rox!~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Student that looks like one of out teacher's claws
Student yes we do
Student ITS THE MR. HINKLE BUG!!!
Student by
Student !!!!
Student Would we die if we were in there and that small???????????????
Bugscope Team yes, there is a vacuum, so you wouldnt be able to breath
Student o look its the mr. hinkle bug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Student The Mr hinkle bug is scary
Student do u like the mr hinkle annie??
Bugscope Team Sure

Student MR.HINKLE!!!!!
Student where the bug :(

Student it dosent look like Mr. Hinkel!!
Bugscope Team Evan if we look at the face it looks like him, we are told.
Student How long are the calws????????????????????????????
Student hi annie you rock
Bugscope Team Thanks Joey
Student Does the microscope use much power?
Student is that its mouth
Student If he finds out about that do you think he'll be mad?
Student what part is that??
Student Annie what is your favorite bug to lookat?
Bugscope Team Longhorned beetles

Student Did the cancer cells look different?
Student cooooool you were good in that movie you acted realy nice in the movie annie
Bugscope Team Thanks--it wasn't really acting. I was just being interviewed.
Student Maybe
Student Yes
Student How big is this claws????????????????
Student what part of the bug is this??
Student Alex, what is ur favorite bug to look at?
Student no, mr. hinkle is nice, don't make fun
Student What is that
Student what is in the back-round of the claws??

Student Yourwelcome annie you sounded like you knew alot
Student Alex how long have u been looking at bugs
Bugscope Team i have been working with bugscope for about 1 year now
Student your a star here
Student cate whats the strangest looking bug you've seen

Student is all of the air sucked out of the chamber like absolutly all of it?!!

Student *shimmershimmer*
Student wat kind of bug is this exsactly??
Bugscope Team Haha. Wow, I had no idea.
Student alex and cate and scot should be in a video so we know what they look like too.
Student Why does the ants have their skelaton on the outside?
Bugscope Team exoskeletons are made of chitin, which is the same stuff as our fingernails. It is super hard. Ants go up against a lot of bigger insects. Their exoskeleton help protect them
Student Would the microscope fit on a desk in an elementary school?
Bugscope Team probably not, it would probably make the desk fall over.
Student scott can you answer to alex too
Bugscope Team What was the question? I'm sorry..
Student Annie have you ever looked at a posioniss bug and what kind
Student Annie why do you have to use a SED
Bugscope Team I use the scanning electron microscope to examine beetles to see if the beetles have pores. The pores may indicate that a species produced a pheromone--which is a chemical that insects use to communicate with each other over long distances.
Student about how big is the claw?
Student it seems fun
Student Does the microscope use much power?

Student Alex, what is ur favorite bug to look at?
Bugscope Team i like mites, they are tiny little things that stick to bigger bugs
1:01pm

Student Has a bug ever been sucked up by the vacum

Student would it break the desk
Student is the microscope really really heavy
Student did the cancer cells look different?
Student are we stilll looking at the mr. Hinkkle bug. Mrs.h-t
Student scot wat is your job there???????
Bugscope Team My job is to manage the lab, try to ensure that everyone down here can do his or her job without too much trouble.
Student anni is awsome
Student how much does the microsope wiegh?
Student Annie your awsome

Student Mrs. H-T's awesome!!!
Student WHAT DOES sed STAND FOR??????????????????
Student would it be dangerous to have in just a house??? because it seems like you'd have to have the microscope in a special area/in a surtain surrounding.

Student what does mites look like under a microscope?
Student What is that line around the big line circle
Teacher Nice try Sarah, you're not getting any bonus points =)
Student how long do you think the claw is Cate
Student whats the black dot
Student Has a bug ever been sucked up by the vacume
Student what is the stangest but awsomestest thing youve lik ummmm ever seen or did with these bugs or anything at the office or whatever its called

Student Annie is awesome
Student How do you get the airless chamber, well airless?
Student is the claw sharp
Bugscope Team Not too sharp. It doesn't really hurt when an insect walks on you.
Student what does SED mean, Scot?
Bugscope Team Jensen the SED is the secondary electron detector. That is what lets us see the images we see now.

Student mrs.H-T you are though
Student san u look at bettle pinchers
Bugscope Team there is a scale bar in the lower left hand corner that will help show you how big or small something is
Student wat do you have to major in college to do wat u guys do??
Bugscope Team I majored in biology with a minor in chemistry for my undergrad. I have a masters in entomology and I am working on my PhD in entomology now.
Student how many years of college does it take to have a carer in this type of scenice??
Bugscope Team well, the basic degree takes 4 years, but often people go to school for longer, 6-8 years. don't let that scare you!!! if you like it, those years will be a LOT of fun.
Student how old does the bug get to be Annie
Student so scot do you still use the microscope???????
Bugscope Team Yes I get to help.
Student what is the stangest but awsomestest thing youve lik ummmm ever seen or did with these bugs or anything at the office or whatever its called

Student How do you use the microscope Annie?
Bugscope Team I dissect prothoraces from beetles, I clean them and place them on the microscope stub. I coat the specimens with metal and I examine the top and sides of the prothoraces. I record if there are pores present in males that are absent from females of the same species. I have examined about 140 species of longhorned beetle for my research,
Student It does tickle when they walk on you though. Is that because fo the claws?
Student could the claw hurt anything??? and if so what???

Student can u see bactira
Bugscope Team Brennon we can see bacteria if they are there no problem.
Student does the end of the claw pinch like a hand
Bugscope Team it might be able to grab onto a layer of skin, but you wont feel it
Student annie, on the video u showed us a bug, wat type of bug did u study, is it on the microscope slide
Bugscope Team That was a beetle called a Carolina pine saywer, which is a longhorned beetle native to the Eastern US. We do not have one of those insects on the stub today.
Bugscope Team it took me 4.5 years to graduate with a physics degree
Student what d
Student Alex have you ever looked at a possinoss bug and what kind
Bugscope Team yeah, spiders are poisonous, and we've seen tons of them in the scope
Student wouldn't the leg brake if you were that??????????????
Student What happens if you can open the mainer door?????
Bugscope Team well, you'd let out all these electrons, and so we wouldn't see any images anymore....
Student cate wat is your job at the lab
Bugscope Team i work with the electron microscopes as well and help users with their projects. I also train user to use the microscopes

Student why does it look like that part of the claw was broke of and then is grew bakAnnie
Student is ther new models bein made

Bugscope Team scorpions too!!!
Student cate whats the strangest looking bug youve seen
Student what is the main use for the microscope
Student is that hair behind it Cate
Bugscope Team yes, they have lot of different hairs that help them feel what is around them. think of their exoskeleton as a hard shell or suit of armor. Their hairs go through the armor and are connected to nerves, Without the hairs, they wouldnt be able to feel anything and would be bumping into things all the time
Student have you ever looked at looked at that black spider that is dangerous
Student What are the hairs for??????????/
Student HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FAMILAR WITH THE SCOPE CATE?
Student has a bud ever been sucked up by the vacume
Student did u ever look at pond scum
Bugscope Team One of the guys in our lab is especially fond of pond scum.
Student cate, why is the microscope soo big???
Student it looks like their is big thorns in them

Student alex wat are we looking at now??
Student cate what is the hardest specimen to perpare
Student Alex do you have to have bugs that fit under the microscope
Bugscope Team yep, they can't be bigger than 1.5 inches or so

1:06pm
Student do you like to look at bugs on this website
Student whats the hair for Cate?
Student that looks like sand with a crabs leg on it
Student sweet scorpens
Student how big is the vacum Annie
Bugscope Team Umm, it is a little bigger than a toaster
Student did u ever look at some mucky substance?
Student is there any special clothes that you have to wear to the lab.........or can yu wear whatever you want
Bugscope Team not for this scope, but there are some clean rooms here, and you must wear a big suit, and special covers for your hands and hair and feet. it's kinda cool.
Student cate have u ever look at a capricorn bug?????????????????

Student what are the spikes
Student Is that how big the stage is that the beems shoot off of
Student Annie, do you know how much the the electron microscope weighs?????
Student Can you look at scorpions Annie?
Student Does the microscope use much power?
Bugscope Team crustaceans (crabs and lobsters and shrimp) are a lot like insects, they have many of the same features too. In fact scott will always tell people lobsters are just big bugs we think are tasty
Student how long have you benn doing bug scope Cate?
Student how big do the antenas on the beatles get??ANNIEE
Bugscope Team It depends upon the species. There are some longhorned beetles with antennae that are almost 6 inches long. Of course, those are big beetles to begin with,
Student what is the smallest bug you've evr looked at using the machine???
Bugscope Team I have looked at beetles that were smaller than 1/32 of an inch

Student why do the questions hilight in differenbt xcolors
Student can you see live bugs if you tried????/
Student Alex Is it possible to look at live ones
Bugscope Team yes it is, but if they move, the images won't look good (too blurry), but if it stayed still you could see it, yes
Student do u also study larger bugs such as taranculas and scorpions?
Student has a bug ever been sucked up by the vacume??????????????????????????????
Student are you able to see a persons like cell
Student alex what is your job there at the lab
Bugscope Team i'm a systems administrator: that means i fix computers
Student why are threr spikes coming out of the legs

Student are you able to see a persons like cell
Student how much does it weigh?????????????????????????????????/
Student can you see live bug???????????????????????
Bugscope Team yes, of course, but you don't want them to move around
Student how long have you been familR WITH THE SCOPE scpt
Bugscope Team Allie I have worked with this microscope since it was new, 10 years ago.

Student ANNIE what's the MOST interesting bug you have ever seen???????????
Bugscope Team I have seen many unusual and beautiful insects when I have been out collecting in the tropics. I have seen blue morpho butterflies, giant moths, huge beetles, scary-looking ants. It is hard to pick on interesting beetle
Student Alex is that how big the stage is that the beems shoot off from
Student what do the spikes do cate
Bugscope Team we can see cells, like we've looked at cancer cells and red and white blood cells before
Student how much does the microscope weigh???
Bugscope Team hmm, the whole thing is several hundred pounds, if not more...
Student is there new models bein made!!!!!!!!
Bugscope Team Joey there are newer microscopes with some improvements, and less expensive, but this is a pretty nice one, and it is very versatile.
Student D
Student why
Student annie has a bug ever been sucked up in a vacum (karli's q)
Student what is the coolest rock u have ever looked at alex

Student thhis bug is deffinitly no doubt about it on sand
Student Do u ever look at live bugs?
Student have you ever looked at water??????? is it possible
Student how much does it weigh?????????????????????????
Student Alex has a bug ever been sucked up by the vacume
Bugscope Team no, the vacuum doesn't quite work like that, it's not for sucking things up, but rather to remove air from the camber
Student are those layers of skins
Student Mr.Hinkel has a 6 pack
Student how many legs does the Mr. Hinkle bug have Cate
Bugscope Team it should have 6
Student Alex is that the mouth
Student ALEX How do you get the airless chamber, well airless?
Bugscope Team that is what the vacuum does, it removes air from the chamber

Bugscope Team sometimes limbs do fall off though
Student alex why can it move???????????
Bugscope Team if the bugs move around while you are trying to look at them, then your images will be all blurry and you won't be able to see what you are looking at

Student alex, do all bugs have a exosceleton?
Student is that a beard Cate
Student omg i had no i dea that this was teacher mr.hincle upfront
Student could you ever but a body part in the scope
Bugscope Team sure, you can put bones in their, teeth, hair, skin, lots of stuff
Student Scot why do you like being a scientis?
Student yyyyyaaaaaaaaaasaaaaaaayyyyyy
Student What is the too things stiking out of the Mr.Hinkle's mouth???
Bugscope Team those are palps, which help the insect taste/manipulate food
Bugscope Team now sometimes insects like spiders will pop in the vacuum and cause us to lose the vacuum pressure altogether, which is kind of funny
Student Taht does look like Mr. Hinkle
Bugscope Team nice.
1:11pm
Student were are the eyes?????????
Student nnnnnnnnooooooooooooooo
Bugscope Team not just beetles!
Student that looks like a helmet
Bugscope Team this is a waterbug so it has long hairs to help it either swim or give it extra surface area so it can walk on the water

Student How can a vacuum get all the air out?
Bugscope Team Sarah there are a series of pumps that are used to get all of the air out. Some are mechanical, and some use charged plates to attract molecules to them.

Teacher we're moving to the beetle palp 9883x
Student what is that/?
Student what is that?
Student have you ever looked at water????????????? is it possible
Student how old is this bud and how can you tell
Student What do u like looking at better animals or bugs
Bugscope Team insects! Insects smell better.
Bugscope Team this is a good view of a palp
Student what is the biggest part of the microscope??
Bugscope Team good questions, the biggest parts are all the electronics under the desk
Student bug
Bugscope Team on it you can see chemosensory setae, which are like taste buds
Student is that a MOUTH?
Bugscope Team it is part of the mouth, it tastes food and helps move food to its mouth
Student are rtheir differetn modles and styles of the electron microscope????????????\

Student what is a beetl palp

Student Mrs.HT
Student what is that?????//
Student what are those
Student wat r the things that look like carrots?
Student How does it eat?
Bugscope Team this is the palp
Student Alex how big is the biggest bug youve ever looke at
Bugscope Team a butterfly is just about too big for the scope, but we've looked at them before, so i think a butterfly is the answer
Student wat are those round things
Bugscope Team All the little pegs are chemosensory setae that help the insect to taste
Student does the microscope plug into the common outlet????????????????????
Student in the middle
Student what are the cirles on the peg things ????????
Student how does it eat?
Student how old is this bug and how can you tell
Student What's that stuff on the insect?
Student well if you move the bug wouldn't it be batter to see it all????????????????????
Student so this is hte mouth?????
Student you smell inscets annie?
Bugscope Team When they are rotten, I smell them for sure.

Student those look like finger, what r they?
Student why do you you like your job Annie?
Student how does the vacume work?
Bugscope Team well, it's a pump that is connected to the chamber, with air only allowed to move one way: out of the chamber
Student are cthe round things rocks?????????????
Bugscope Team annie does more than smell insects, she eats them too!
Student Alex, what are thoes pointy things
Student how old is this bug and how can you tell please answer me please
Bugscope Team this insect is probably between 7 and 10 months old.
Student that looks like a sewer animal from men in blck doesn't it Cat
Student how does it eat?
Student will you guys be working everyday for christmas brake?? if soo...for how long??
Bugscope Team I am going home to Kentucky on the 21st and coming back to Illinois on the 29th or 30th. I have to work on my dissertation chapters when I am at home over break though!
Student nice
Student it looks like a sea cucumber!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Student is this the biggest microscope? or is there even bigger microscopes?
Bugscope Team In the movie Spiderman there is a much larger transmission electron microscope.

Student cate have you ever looked at water???????? is it possible
Bugscope Team we can, but not using the microscope like we are now. We can use the microscope as an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) and look at water droplets. ESEM works in a low vacuum state
Student it the mouth EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Student ewwwwwwwwswwww
Student then r those carrot things teeth?
Bugscope Team They are setae that help the insect to taste.
Student eeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww!!!!
Student do they have teeth?
Student it looks like an anteater
Student is that a JUJU
Student it that a leg Annie
Bugscope Team We are looking at part of the mouth
Bugscope Team juju!!! ha!
Student it looks a weird worm mouth

Student is that its eye or an intennae?
Student its the magic JuJu!
Student Alex is there an insect bigger than a buterfly
Bugscope Team oh yes, the biggest insect is some kind of beetle, annie knows...
Student Can you see this Beatle with the Nacked EYe?
Student HOW DOES IT EAT!?!?
1:16pm

Student whasts funny about juju
Bugscope Team My work is never over.
Student Alex does that bug have ears and if so, where
Bugscope Team nope, no ears!
Student it looks like that caribain person awsome
Student why is it called juju not something else
Bugscope Team Elizabeth we often call unidentifiable stuff -- stuff that looks like oils, or crud, juju.
Student have you ever looked at ticks to find out more about them

Student alex how long do u work ther for a whole day? wat hours?
Bugscope Team we usually work for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Student caribian srry
Student That bug looks like the monster that comes out of the ocean in Pirates of the Carribian At Woeld's End
Bugscope Team im taking a small vacation soon so I won't be working everyday
Student that one part looks like a srub thing
Student Does the microscope use much power?
Student Annie alex told me to ask you the biggest bettle there is
Bugscope Team The largest beetle in the world is the titan beetle, a species that lives in the Amazon rain forest. It can get to be more than 5 inches long.
Student cool
Student why does it look like this??????????????
Student alex whats the strangest lookin' bug youve seen PLEASE ANSWER
Bugscope Team hmm, well, probably a true bug of some kind. they are all strange in some ways

Student World's sorry
Student do yuo like looking at bigger or smaller bugs better?
Bugscope Team smaller insects tend to have more special features to look at in the microscope, so we like those more
Student hey ari
Student how many mouths does that bettle have
Bugscope Team just one little mouth with many parts
Student do you like doing this everyday VATE??
Bugscope Team Yes it is a lot of fun, and I don't consider it work because of that
Student Are you guys ever going to find out what juju is???????
Bugscope Team Emma sometimes we find out afterwards that we are looking at a biofilm, or hemolymph, for example.
Student what is your favorite part about using the electron microscope?
Student catee**
Student what is that soppuse to be Annie
Bugscope Team This is a beetle's head
Student his eye is blugy
Student wohy
Student what is the tube for
Student cate have you ever looked at ticks just to find out more about them??????????????????????????
Bugscope Team ticks are pretty cool to look at in themicroscope. You can see where they bite you and you can usually see leftover cement, which is how they stay stuck in you. Sometimes you will also see cool bacteria on them
Student are you still here Mrs.H-T?
Student would you like to own an electron scope?
Student Alex can you ask annie the biggest bettle
Student do the longhorn beetles have. mouths, teeth, and bones? *Annie*
Student hey ari
Bugscope Team annie, what's the biggest beetle in the world????
Bugscope Team Titanus giganteus, Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae
Student wat is your year salary, Cate?
Student ALEX does the microscope use much power?
Bugscope Team well, i'm not sure how much, but yes it does, probably the same as 10-20 computers...
Student hey annie
Bugscope Team hey
Student what does the microscope help you with at the school
Student that is a really cool bug
Bugscope Team we have seen a few ticks in sessions recently
Student everyone is bieing logged off what do we do >???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!
Student What would Happen if you put in a bug with no vacume?
Bugscope Team Mrs H-T is out having a smoke.
Student what is the coolest bug u ever looked at
Student what is the tube for
Student karli's computer is dead/froizen
Teacher I don't smoke!!
Teacher I'm just hot!
Student allie you be quiet
Student she doesn't smoke
Student noooo!!!
Bugscope Team good one mrs. h-t!!!!
Student Mrs Ht doesn't smoke
Student Mrs H-t SAID I DONT SOMKE!
Student cate what do you mean by leftover cement
Bugscope Team well it uses a special glue it can make, not really cement, to make it so it can't easily be taken off.
Student that funny!!! but that was mean, she doesn't smoke
Student why is everybody getting logged off!?
Student she is not haveing a smoke
Student I offened you'd say that Go9 MRS. HT
Student and she DOESNT smoke....
Student what is your favorite thing to look at that is not a bug...annie??
Bugscope Team I only research insects, so I only look at insects.
Bugscope Team Mrs H-T I was just teasing. We don't smoke either.
Bugscope Team I have to sleep sometimes
Student Well that stink!
Student karlis freaking out @!!!!!!!!!
Student Annie how was the beetles mouth
1:21pm
Bugscope Team okay, it should be fixed now mrs h-t
Student how long have you worked there annie??
Bugscope Team I started graduate school in 2003, but I have been helping with Bugscope since 2004
Teacher thanks!
Bugscope Team ah, mrs. h-t1, i mean!

Student he ugugly
Student whats your life goal in the scinece field **please answer** (Annie)
Bugscope Team To graduate with my PhD and to continue studying the ecology, behavior, and relationships in longhorned beetles
Bugscope Team What about Mr Hinkle?
Student have you always liked looking at bugs????
Teacher yes, my alter ego H-T1...the one that hands out the Fs-hahahahahah
Student that bug is strange
Student Scot, Alex said that you might know more about the vacum then him and, so why do you need a vacum
Teacher Mr. Hinkle isn't hot
Student oh you mean like rubber cement,the glue kind of cate???
Bugscope Team yeah kind of like that
Student why r the antennas so small?

Student annie have you ever dicoveerd somthing new about beetles

Student What is this bug called?
Student oh yeah
Student haha mrs.h-t1
Student shut up allie
Student the bug is he;'s not
Bugscope Team poor guy

Student how many legs does this one haveCate
Bugscope Team it's missing a few legs but 6 if it werent
Student yea hes got a goteee
Bugscope Team I don't know where I will work though...that is the big question right now

Student Annie whats the smallest bettle there is
Bugscope Team Geez, I am not sure. There beetles that are smaller than a millimeter for sure.

Bugscope Team oh nevermind its not missing anything
Student did you kill the bug or did you find it
Bugscope Team we usually freeze the bugs and that kills them in a very "nice" way
Bugscope Team it has all 6 legs
Student how big is the population of the bug Annie
Student what is that thing? *at the bottem*
Bugscope Team That is an ovipositor -- it is what insects use to inject or lay eggs.

Student have you ever discovered somthing new about beetles??????? annie **
Bugscope Team Yes, I have identified pheromones in several species, I have collected new species of beetles, I have discovered that the pores that I study are present in many different species.
Student what was that thing at the end of it?

Student what the heck is that
Student Whats that thing at the end?
Student If there was 1 bug you could look at what would it be **scot**
Student Wow annie thats pretty small

Student how do u place the bug on the slide?
Student annie have you ever looked at any thing other than longhorn beetles
Bugscope Team I have looked at ants, I have looked at Tiger beetles, I have looked at longhorned beetle eggs. I don't have a lot of time to look at other insects...as much as I like them.
Student what the
Student what is this?
Student WELL WHAT IS THT THE ANSWER Mr.BIGSHOT LOL
Student Another somke?
Student hey people
Student what is an oviposiser?
Student what is that it looks like a pigtail
Student Alex can you please highligh me please
Student this is very very cool
Guest what is that
Student mrs. H-T got logged off again....... uh oh

Student what happened why are we geting loged off!
Student I dont smoke
Bugscope Team it looks more like a pig tail

Student i wish you could here me dudes becuse my computer is frozen!!!(from karli)
Bugscope Team mrs. h-t has control, if she wants to give control to a student, she must ask us
Student CATE what kind of beetle is this?
Bugscope Team i have no idea, i'm sorry
Student Alex what is that tube
1:26pm
Student why doesit look like a honey bee at the end
Guest is that a bug
Student annie have you ever looked at any thing other than longhorn beetles??????????????????????
Student mabey its a protection system?
Bugscope Team Emma you are still on; sometimes we get grayed out.
Guest is that i s a bug right
Student what is the u thing?????????????

Student yeah i'm still here
Student what are tiger beetles?? and wat do they look like???
Bugscope Team Tiger beetles are really fast, small-medium sized beetles that are usually metallic colored. They have big jaws and can bite (although the bite doesn't really hurt). They are really really fast and you often see them on sandy soil near rivers or lakes. They are predators of other insects.

Guest is that a bug

Student Sorry i know this hass Problay been asked but what is the highest power of Magnafacation?
Bugscope Team 800,000x, but for bugs we usually only go up to 40,000x or so
Student Annie is tha tthe bugs claww
Guest what do thet eat
Student that is awesome
Teacher We are going to have to log off in about a minute so the kids can get ready to go home.
Bugscope Team I don't know what kind of beetle this is either. I can't tell from this angle.
Student wat is an ovpositor?
Bugscope Team ok, great session everyone, you all rule!!!!
Student awwwwww this rocks
Student by
Student by
Student is that a stinger
Student by
Student Thank you for your time
Teacher Guys, please log off and shut down the computers...thanks for a great session!
Student thanks
Student Annie Rocks
Student bii
Student this is cool guys!
Student u all rule
Student byebye!
Student bye bye
Student bye Annie
Student bbyeee
Student !!
Student g2g thank u!
Student bye alex
Bugscope Team Thank you!
Student bye bye thank you very much it rocked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Student thanks soo much byye
Student Thank you very much for letting us see all of those cool bugs
Student byee byee thanks again
Student bye annie
Bugscope Team mrs. h-t, let me give you the link to your member page again....
Student bye everyone From BEth Adn Karli !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! youi all rock
Student thank you!
Teacher Of course, my plan is for all of them to become scientists!
Student thanx for everything YOU RULE
Bugscope Team http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/members/2008-115
Student good bye thank you soooo much for answering our questions -
Student by?????
Student U guys rock ur socks off!!! BYE!
Bugscope Team that link has all the chat and images from today's session
Student biiiiiiiiiiiii
Bugscope Team Thank you!
Bugscope Team thank you all!
Guest how old are they
Bugscope Team :P
Bugscope Team BYE
Bugscope Team errg
Bugscope Team haha
Bugscope Team can't spell either
Teacher And seriously, Annie, you were a great interview!
Bugscope Team Thank you Mrs H-T!
Guest what kind are they
Bugscope Team Ha ha, thank Mrs H-T
Bugscope Team great session mrs. h-t, wow, massive amount of questions
Teacher Thanks Scot, Alex, Cate, and Annie!
Bugscope Team you led a great session Mrs. H-T
Bugscope Team don't forget, you can see all the chat and images on your member page
Teacher Yeah, sorry about that...I had them write a bunch down before they came in
Bugscope Team http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/members/2008-115
Bugscope Team thanks for all the great questions and you did a good job driving as well
1:31pm
Teacher aw shucks,
Guest how old can they get?
Teacher bye
Bugscope Team ciao!
Guest hi o
Bugscope Team OK ladies and gents. I have an appointment to learn how to use the nanodropper
Bugscope Team have fun annie
Bugscope Team See you next session
Bugscope Team bye
Bugscope Team okay, going to close down the session, unless someone objects?
Bugscope Team we have sessions with college students sometimes
Bugscope Team this session was with 6th graders
Guest thank you and sss
Bugscope Team Olivea where are you?

School Name	Palisades Middle School
School Homepage	www.palisdessd.org
Location
Community	Rural
Type	Public

Subjects Taught	science, language arts
Grades Taught	6th Grade
Number of Students	60

Project Title	microscopy and scale
Insects To Study	any we can find
Project Description	We have been observing images online from electron microscopes and have been viewing specimens (prepared and live) under light microscopes. We are going to be using the observations from Bugscope to do comparison studies on images under each of these types of microscopes and to tie-in concepts from art class on shadowing and perspective in three-dimensional drawings.

Session 2008-115 with Palisades Middle School

Application

The School

The Class

The Project

Miscellaneous

Live Session Transcript

Connected on 2008-12-10 12:30:00 from , PA, US