Bugscope: Members Page

Live Session Transcript

Connected on 2011-01-25 12:30:00 from Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States

11:42am
Bugscope Team pumping down
12:11pm
Bugscope Team now we're setting up...
Bugscope Team sample took awhile to pump

12:17pm

12:24pm

12:30pm

Bugscope Team Hello Mrs. V!
Teacher Hi! We are starting to log on. Please let us know when you are ready for us.
Bugscope Team we should be ready soon, just finishing

Student hi

Student hello
Student hi
Student how is your day
Student hi everyone, was up
Student How does the electron microscope receptor work?
Bugscope Team we beam electrons at the sample, and 2ndary electrons come back as signal. the signal is what we are looking at, in black and white
Student heyyy
Student waz up beieber fans

Student I hate justin bieber arman
12:35pm
Student what is the up
Student thats not very nice ua

Bugscope Team the samples are coating with gold-palladium to make them conductive, so they actually look silver
Student It's the truth

Student Thanks, but is there a receptive film that turns black and white when the electrons hit it?
Bugscope Team there is a detector: black is no signal, white is a lot of signal, and of course we see a full scale of greys
Student yes
Student Thank you
Student do u like the bugscope
Bugscope Team yes it is the most fun we have during a week
Student Around how much would it cost to buy this microscope?
Student these are cool bugs
Student Hi, is this a spider
Student Guys it's maing me sick to talk about Beieber
Student hi sj
Student what bugs are you showing
Bugscope Team hissing cockroach parts only, since it was so huge; moth; leafhoppers; fly; stinkbug

Student what body parts are you showing
Bugscope Team spider fangs
Student How do you focus the microscope on the different parts of the insect? How do you catch the electrons being reflected off the bug?\
Student Bugs are amazing
Student wht else do u do
Bugscope Team we train people to do their own research using a variety of microscopes, including this one
Student I like bugs
Teacher Look up at the top left above the picture to see a caption (what it is)
Student in my opinion they are okay
Student sometimes they are awesome
Student no

Student that is so cool
Student do u have any rare bugs
Bugscope Team we've looked at them, but not on a day like this
Student how do u work this mr.v
Student this must be really fun job
Student *mrs.v

Student i know right
Student what about ms.v
Student wht?
Student Why do you coat the insects in gold?
Bugscope Team they need to be conductive or the electrons will go into them instead of running off
Student bugs are pretty cool
Student this si really cool
Bugscope Team who would like to drive?
12:40pm
Student whoops i meant is not si
Student me!
Student Wow, this is a lot of detail!
Bugscope Team this is really fun for us too
Student how do u get the gold
Student this is so cool
Teacher The presets look great! I am especially excited about the roach mite. Aidan to drive, please.
Student do u hav to use gold or can you use silver
Bugscope Team we use an alloy of gold and palladium, and it is only a few nanometers thick
Student what do u mean
Student why does the backround change on the left
Bugscope Team not sure what you mean. is it still doing that?
Student what is that is it a moth
Bugscope Team that is a male skeeter
Student i've been on this website before
Student why is there small holes
Bugscope Team those holes are from the carbon tape that the samples are sitting on
Student cool
Student how big is the microsope?
Bugscope Team about the size of a large long desk, with a 6' column on one side
Student what r we looking at rite now?
Bugscope Team this is a male mosquito you sent us
Student bugscope is from illonois, chicago
Bugscope Team 132 mi south of Chicago
Student Is that a parisite?
Bugscope Team nope, though the females do feed off our blood
Student Are the there more than one types of microscopes that you can use? Or can you only use one type?
Bugscope Team for Bugscope we use only this one. although we have used the microCT to see inside of owl pellets
Student i can't wait to control the microscope
Student could we possibly see its blood sucking tool
Student how long does it take to make a slide
Student how many years ago was this website made
Bugscope Team we started it in 1999, in March
Student About how much do these microscopes cost?
Student yes
Student how do u keep them preserved
Student yes u can
Teacher Can you remind us how the driver should move the image around? Should he click on the part he wants to move to the middle?
Bugscope Team yes click on the thing you want centered
Student wht is this
Student What is the one bug in the top left?
Student Is that a head of another insect
Bugscope Team no that is the whole insect, though the legs and abdomen are gone it seems. So I can understand with getting it confused with a head
Student they put it inside their bodies=
Student I am clicking on the presets and I am not getting it to work.
Student yes
Student l;'
Student ;;;;'
Student its fine
Student do mosquitos carry diseases?
Bugscope Team yes very deadly diseases like malaria and west nile virus

Student how big is this
12:45pm

Student aiden do something interesting

Student how big is what sara?
Student why is its head so much bigger than its body
Student thank u
Student this is amayzing
Student the animal
Student Is that base the slide?
Bugscope Team in a way, but we arent using a slide to put the insects on, we are using an aluminum stub with double stick carbon tape
Student Wht is this?
Student i think bugs are creepy crawly things
Bugscope Team male mosquitoes do not bite -- only the females do
Student could it possibly be missing some parts or is it tucked up
Student how do u you put the bugs into the micro
Student what is the oldest bug
Student I was just reading about how mosquitoes carry plasmadonium which causes malaria!
Student did i mention that bugs are nice
Student its fine
Student What type of spider is that?
Student this is good nice and fun
Student How come we can't see the gold when we magnify the bugs?
Student is this bug only have 1 eye ball?
Student How do you focus the electrons on one point on the specimen
Student how big is a slide
Student isnt it
Student is this the eye
Student i agree emma
Student wht is the slide made up of
Bugscope Team it's an aluminium stub, 1.75 inches in diameter, with carbon tape on it to stick the criiters to
Student thats cool
Student Is that an eye at the top
Bugscope Team the eye is the squished part beneath the donut looking thing, which is actually where the antenna comes out
Student hello emma\
Student mrs.v said that i can drive but her computer is not working so she told me to tell u
Student hello emma
Student this is haxing
Student Mrs. V did say that.
Teacher Brooke to drive, please.
Bugscope Team oops critters, and someone had asked about silver: we do use silver paint to help stick the insects down

Student who is emma?

Bugscope Team brooke has control
Student thats cool
Student really

Student i think they do
Student that eye is cool
Bugscope Team Emma is a guest who is watching today. She can comment if she would like.
Student what the

Student why is it doing it

Student do the bugs have vains
Bugscope Team no they have an open circulatory system, but they do have what are called wing veins that fill with hemolymph
Student what happen to the screen?
Student what happened to the screen

Student du bugs have blud
Bugscope Team yes they do, it's clear, though sometimes when you squish them the blood gets mixed in with other juices and can get a color like green added to them
Student it is loading

12:50pm
Student duh
Student it is loading
Student that is cool!!!!
Student Ben you copy cat!
Student I'm alergic to mosquitoes so when i get bitten the bmps are like 3 times the normal size? Would that make a different effect if i got bittenand the mosquitoe had a disease?
Student thats so cool that there blood is some times see through
Student to show the detail
Student ik
Student what happend?
Student Did the comuter overload and temporarily stop working?
Student how do you get the gold on the bugs[
Bugscope Team we have a sputter coater that pulls a vacuum, then we apply a current, and the atmosphere in the vacuum has argon in it, so the current makes an argon plasma that attacks the gold-palladium target and makes gold-palladium rain all over the sample
Teacher Hmmm. We seem to be having some technical difficulty. Brooke stopped clicking to see if that will help; any suggestions?
Student this is cooler than the last time i was on it
Student buterflies r bugs right?
Student what happened to the creen?

Student *screen\
Student Why are the bugs in black and white instead of color in the pictures?
Bugscope Team we are using electrons and not light to acquire the images. We are collecting the signal coming from the secondary electrons which just gives us a black and white topographical image, but we can always add false color to images later
Student hack the computer is mine
Student i agrei with marcus

Student kate what are you/ what is your job
Student Do you get new bugs everyday?
Bugscope Team no, sometimes we collect bugs from our houses, and sometimes we get them from other people and schools
Student yeeahhhhh

Student how long have you been working with bugscope

Student this is COOL!!!!!!

Student Why is the screen darker black?
Student what is that
Student O thanks
Student whats dis?

Student WHAT THE IS THAT A BUNNY?looks evil
Student did the microscope for the buggggggggggggggggggggggggggggssssssssssssssssssssssssssss break or is it malfunctioning?

Student where do u get the microscops
Student Why are the mosquito's compound eyes dented?
Bugscope Team the mosquito shriveled up a little when it dried out because the eyes are a little soft
Student what r we looking at?
Student is it hard to ude the microscope
Student this picture is weird

Student what part of the body is that
Student dats cool

Student Is this the moth's antenae

Bugscope Team these are scales on a leg maybe
Student what be that
Student i once had a hissing cockroach as a pet!! too bad it died in the car
Student Or is this the cocroach's leg
Student Those moth scales r really cool!
Student woooooooooooooowwwwwwwww

Student that is very clos
Student is it hard to contole the microscope

Student How far can you magnify with this microscope?
Student that is awsome
Bugscope Team yes it is hard right now for some reason
Student how cool is this?????????????
Student that is super clos

Student COOOOOOLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Student are those wings
Student Are those holes spiricals?
Bugscope Team no those are where the scales fell off
Student the moth looks like an artichocke
Student uh oh

Student YEAH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Student wiy is it wite???

12:55pm

Student What's your favorie bug?
Student same problem as befor?
Teacher Uh oh. THe screen went white again. Did we do something wrong?
Student WE DONT KNOW STOP ASKING
Student Are we still on the moth?

Student brooke r u hittin 2 many butons
Student What jobs do you both have besides bugscope?
Student none of us know nathan
Student what is going on
Teacher Yes, if you are clicking a lot it will have troubles.
Student where is this
Student were is da bug
Bugscope Team here is the cockroach head
Student here it is
Student i have a picture yay
Bugscope Team this is the cockroach leg

Student what is this

Student is this a claw
Student this is really cool

Student Is that the end of the cockroaches leg?
Student good question
Student wow!
Student wow wats on it
Bugscope Team this was part of your pet

Student maybe someone is hacking the computer
Student nathan is dis a claw
Student Are those claws
Bugscope Team yes they are

Student Why are there hary
Student hi sj r u scott
Bugscope Team oh yeah, same
Student There looks like there is a hole in the middle of the leg. Is there?
Student is scot and sj the same person
Student is scot and sj the same person

Student what kind of material is that claw?
Student it wite
Student What is that indentation in the middle of the claw?
Bugscope Team there used to be a puffy place in between the claws but when it dried out, it sank in
Student how do you know oliver
Teacher Good job driving, Brooke! You coped with difficulty well. :-) Nathan L-G to drive.

Student yay
Teacher We are looking at the inside of the scope now, kids.

Student is that the micrscope
Student Is that the inside of the microscope
Student you have a really fun job like you control the microscope from another state and we can 2 from another state
Student what just happened
Student wow
Student idk
Student now it is coming
Student phew

Student bugscope is awesome

Student this is very interesting with all of these views
Student r the illonois workers loggwed on
Student Is that a moth
Student thats so cooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!
Student can i be calling you be scott
Bugscope Team np
1:00pm
Student omg
Student ahhhhhhhh my screen is white
Student ewwww
Student omg is right
Student beatles r pinchy
Student they can pinch us i think right sj
Student cool
Student CATE_, Do you have another job besides bugscope?
Bugscope Team we kind of, this is part of my job. I work in the lab on various microscopes. The scanning electron microscope is one of them
Student what r we looking at now?
Student cate wat is ur fav bug
Student cool beans
Student this is really cool
Student ik
Student why are there x's
Student what is this????????
Student WHOA!
Bugscope Team this is the antenna of your pet
Teacher Good job driving, Nathan!! Awesome image!
Student Is that a leg
Student That picture is awsome!
Student what the heck is that thing
Student woah that is really great!
Student good job nathan l-g
Student lets go nathan
Student That is cool
Student darntootin
Student amazing
Student sorry
Student cate isn't repling to me is she ok
Bugscope Team yeah she is typing another message
Teacher Where did the dermestid beetle larva come from? Cool! Did you have that at the lab?
Bugscope Team we saw it with your insects, they usually go after decomposing stuff
Student kk
Student Is that hair
Student sorry:(
Student Are they piosinus?
Student are the spikes bad
Student What is hapening, I just lost controll'
Student ha ha ha ha
Student Are they wings
Student it looks like the map
Student that cool
Student or a region
Student i agree evan this is sweet
Student are the spikes poisinis?
Bugscope Team no those are bug hairs and they are responsible for feeling things around them in their environment
Student ok who is controling it
Student is that the spericals
Teacher Nathan doesn't have the controls any more. Did something happen?
Bugscope Team we had to stop external control, I'm sorry
Bugscope Team this is a fly wing
Student I am back
Student kk coolz
Student nathan l-g is driving
Student who is is driving??????????????????????
Bugscope Team Oliver I am driving now, and from the microscope rather than the external controls
Student phew
Student flies are my favorite bug of all time \
Student Are those spikes
Student same here ej
1:05pm
Student i like bumble bees
Student wow
Student What is that?
Student amazing!!!!!!!!!!
Student how long have you been doing this
Bugscope Team 12 years in March
Student awwwww! It's cute!
Bugscope Team yeah it is a cute little leafhopper
Student i like lotz of things
Student me too
Student ben so random
Student Why is the hand cut off
Student What is happening, I cannot go to a preset
Student this is amazing
Student this is really cool
Teacher Good zooming!
Student What is that?
Student That is an awesome view of the compound eye
Student CATE_, Was that picture a parasite?
Bugscope Team nope, not yet- there are a couple mites here today
Student wow look at its eye
Student What are those
Student this is very clear what kind of micrascope do u use
Student this is very zoomed
Student is it in the same family as the grass hopper?
Student How do you locate that on the insect/arachnid
Student wow thats pretty zoomed!
Student the mosquito eyes look like eggs or bumble bee hives
Student what is that
Student that is better
Student Why are there hairs
Student Why are there spikes
Bugscope Team those are little bug hairs
Student When you see these in nature they look like the things that you want to step on. With this microscope i think they're awsome! And cute!
Student What is that smeared on the eye
Student why do they have hairs on there eyes
Student cool bug hairs we are learning so much
Student Cate why do they have hairs
Student is this in the same family as the grasshopper?
Bugscope Team no these are more closely related to cicadas
Bugscope Team though they are green like them
Student wat is dat
Student thats cool!
Bugscope Team this is a female housefly
Student It's a Katydid!
Student is that an eye
Student it dosent look like any of the eye lenses are the same. why is that?
Student thats cool, cate
Student thats cool
Student it looks like a ballon bug am i right
Bugscope Team it is so dirty!
Student ooh, what's that?!
Student coral reef cool
Student that is really amazing
Student Is this The flies eye
Student thats cool scot
Student woooooooooooooh
Student Are those the compound lense
Student what is this?
Student its a mosquito co mpound eye
Student is that the compound eye
Bugscope Team oops yes this is a fly compound eye. the facets are called ommatidia
Student who's controlon
Student do you live in chicago, but work where ever you are
Student Can we see the stink bug head
Student are those spikes
Student are those claws?
Student Scot r u controlling?
Bugscope Team yeah
1:10pm
Student their a head brooke
Student what are those flakes
Student What is the fibers
Student kk
Student wow what the heck is that
Student Hey scot,
Student Scot can we see the stink bug head?
Student coo, exosletleton
Teacher So, we will just enjoy the pictures and ask questions. If we can drive again, Scot will let us know.
Student woah
Bugscope Team here you can see the claws, and the pulvillus, which has tenent setae on it
Student is that the exoskeleton
Student why is there dirt in the eyes
Bugscope Team some insects dont care if they get a little dirt on their eyes. If you watch a bee or fly, you will sometimes see them rub their arms over their heads, this is their way of cleaning their antennae and eyes
Student i meant cool exoskeleton

Student there is not dirt in the eyes
Student Can the claws on the end of the leg move?
Student this is fun i look forward to do this next year
Student What happened to the microscope so that you have to controll it from there?
Student can you put the moth head
Student When the bugs arrive in the lab, do you have to kill them and how?
Student don't they get sick with all of that gunk on them
Bugscope Team some of the gunk comes on them after death- oils coming through their pores. The stuff before doesn't always bother them.
Student hey scot what spiders do you have?
Student why is there pasta
Student do you have lot s of bugs in chicago
Bugscope Team there are insects are here, but they aren't so diverse as ones in the south like texas for instance
Student wow what are those hairy things
Bugscope Team these are scales
Student do u have big spiders??
Student it looks like pasta spegati
Student scot what is your favorite insect
Student spegetti
Student Are these the scales on the moth
Student is this the moth
Bugscope Team y7es
Student thanks
Student Scot, When was this machine developed and how?
Student beautiful
Student Can you zoom in on the compound eyes?
Student typo
Student there is hair everwhere! bugs are awesome
Student When the screen turns white is that because too many electrons are hitting the sensor
Bugscope Team yes it can be-- we are getting too much signal back. We usually tweak the contrast and brightness to fix it
Student why is its eye so hairy
Bugscope Team ha even when we try to drive it centers and goes all white
Student dat haz huge fury eyes
Teacher "Hair" even on the eyes.
Bugscope Team so we have to drive using the 'scope controls
Student is that long thing its proboscis?
Bugscope Team yes it is
Student R those eyes?
Bugscope Team yes they are!
Student r bumble bees poisonbois cate or scott
Student proboscis
Student what is a proosic
Bugscope Team it's like an elephant's trunk
Student those eyes are huge
Student thanks
1:15pm
Student hey
Student i am
Student I can chat
Bugscope Team sometimes a proboscis is a nose, but with insects it's the feeding tube, more like an extension of the mouth
Student if so y is it almost above the eyes?
Bugscope Team it is very long, when the proboscis isn't in use, it is rolled up like a garden hose, and it can be quite big, so i assume it's so far up so that when it's rolled up, it won't be hindering any head movement
Student scot bro what be the happs
Student some people are having troubal chatting

Student i can chat
Student Some of us here are having trouble chatting
Student some of us are havening trouble chatting
Student What are those small holes under the proboscis and between the eyes
Student y r the 2 eyes different colors?
Bugscope Team one is getting back more signal than another
Student some of us are having trouble chatting
Student Thanks Cate
Student that liiks like a waterslide
Bugscope Team yes it does, but it works more like a straw
Student What are we looking at right now
Student Can u go to the beetle larvea?
Student that looks likelittle mountains
Student I still see the last picture
Student waves
Student where do you guys live
Student bugs r not slimy
Student that was from me bro
Student that looks like waves
Student is that the spine?
Student now I am two behintvfio
Student That was from Ben
Student thank you guys bye
Student I have to go, Bye Scott and Cate
Teacher We will be switching classes in a minute.
Student no that was from me bro bro dawg
Teacher Aidan says to say "Thank you!"
Bugscope Team Thank You!
Bugscope Team We are sorry for the problems, which are new to us as well.
Teacher Spider head here? Is this the wolf spider?
Teacher Hey, I'm sorry about the evacuation yesterday! Stuff happens. ;-)
Bugscope Team yes I guess so!
Student how much does it cost just to cover one bug in Gold
Bugscope Team well we usually charge users $7 per coating
Bugscope Team this is your wolf spider head
Bugscope Team you can see eight eyes if you look carefully
1:20pm
Student hey was up and wat r we lookin at?
Teacher Fantastic! I was just going to comment on the 8 eyes.
Student cool!
Student It looks like a ...
Student ew WOLF SPIDER!!!!!!!! :S
Student shutter\
Student What type of bug is this?
Student a lot of hair
Student Cockroach leg!

Student wolf spider
Student not cockroach leg it has been saying that
Student what this?
Student wow!
Student What kind of spider is it?
Student whats that little hole?
Student WOLF
Student Would that be its jaw?
Student i think
Teacher Sorry, someone wasn't aware of what the initials "STD" stand for. :-) He will be Taylor now.
Student -.-
Teacher I cannot believe how hairy it is! Any reason wolf spiders are soooo fuzzy compared to other spiders?
Bugscope Team sometimes spider hairs, especially those of tarantulas, can be used as a deterrent against other things. The spines on the hairs can cause itchiness to humans, but to other insects it could be poisonous. This could be one reason. Another reason is they use those hairs to feel vibrations in their webs/traps
Student Cool! it looks very hairy
Student EW
Bugscope Team spider spinnerette
Student That looks so cool
Student Still near the spider head?
Student whoah, I never knew that's what it looked like!
Student wow! crazy
Student why does it look feathery?
Student are those the mandibles
Student cool spinerets?
Bugscope Team yes they are used to send out the silk thread and manipulate where they go
Student soooooo wat r we lookin at now?????????
Student so hairy xD
Student Mrs. V, i think it is hairy because of the name
Bugscope Team abdomen
Student What are we looking at currently?
Bugscope Team of the spider
Student what is that?
Teacher Cate, urticating hairs?
Bugscope Team that's exactly what I was going for
Bugscope Team some caterpillars have urticating hairs as well
Student like a river it looks like ripples
Student what is that
Student what is that
Student why is it so ripply
Student what is the purpose of the hairs?
Student now it looks like a cactis
Student I can really see the joints
1:26pm
Student are these the antennae
Student What are we looking at now?
Student what is that?
Student we are near the head right?
Bugscope Team the spinnerets are near the tip of the abdomen
Student what are we looking at?
Student is that an eye
Student what is it?
Student corn
Student are those the eggs?\
Student IT's bubbly!
Student Corn
Student That looks like a compund eye
Student what is this?
Bugscope Team these are the compound eye facets of the mosquito
Teacher Looks like compound eyes. Neat close-up!!
Student wow! neat
Student it's so cool!!!
Student why are they crushed
Student i hate peas\
Student squished peas
Student corn
Student peas
Student What are these?
Student wow
Student they look like scales
Student What is that
Student ew wat in earth is that and has a dent in the EYE
Bugscope Team they are like beanbags because as they dry up they shrivel a little. They used to be perfectly rount
Student it looks like a plant
Student it looks like a venus flietrap leaf
Student oh kk
Student what is that
Student wow nice
Student Are we looking at one of the facets in the compound eye
Student lots of lens
Student compound eyes?
Student '
Student Those lenses are so cool up close
Student it looks like beanbag
Student looks like sand hillls
Student why are some of the facets missing?
Student bread
Student squished peas and scales
Student what is that?
Student wierd
Student what is it
Student what is it
Student what is it?
Student BISCUTS OR CRESCENT ROLLS R SOO YUMMY AND THAT IS WHAT THEY LOOKS LIKE OR WHAT IT DID!
Student wat is the thing that looks like an eye
Teacher If it is possibly, could we look at the mite from the cockroach? or the dermestid beetle larva?
Student scales
Bugscope Team these are more scales- on the mosquitp
Bugscope Team mosquito
Student wow
Student is that a eye
Student scaleys haha
Bugscope Team mites!
Student what type of spider is this?
Student wow cool\
Student koo;
Teacher Oooooh, thanks!
Student weird mitee
Student zoom
Student What type of mite
Student is this
1:31pm
Student that's a mite?
Student eight\
Student it is an arachnid
Student thats kool
Student it looks like a tick
Student it is a mite not tick
Student how big are they really?
Student i despise ticks. ugh
Student Do they feed off of the cockroach?
Student it is a mite
Student whats behind the thing?
Student crazy cool
Teacher you can see them easily on the live roaches.
Bugscope Team yes they are very big, when we usually see mites they are much smaller and simpler. This is very cool
Student I can see the jaw
Student it is hairy and GROSS bc og the individual HAIRS ew shutter
Student the head
Student whoa u can see the hairs on its legs and fangs
Student wooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooow
Teacher From what I read, they are harmless; any idea why they are there? Commensalistic relationship?
Student a lot of hair
Student how big are they really?
Bugscope Team i think these were less than a millimeter, if we took down the mag we could see the databar compared to the mite
Student those are fangs. i never knew there could be hair on them
Student is this still a mite
Student O_O wierd
Teacher Students, we can look at the live mites in class if you want.You can't see any details but it would show you how big they are.
Student it looks like hairy leather
Student ().()
Student lots of legs!
Student this is wierd and cool @_@
Student i got logged out automatically!
Student it has hair on its fangs?
Bugscope Team the mites are very blind, these hairs help them feel around
Teacher I had to take them off of the dead roach with a piece of pipe cleaner. It wasn't easy to get them into the container. I'm glad you managed to find one and put it on the stub.
Student What is the mite laying on?
Bugscope Team they are lying on carbon tape
Student ew and FRWEAKY \
Student I can see the links in the joints!
Teacher Blind mites; I didn't know that. Pretty neat.
Student ?
Student Interesting
Student wat is the bug laying on
Student is that a leg?
Student ??
Student what is that?
Student hey scientist who knows GOOD bug jokes?
Student who knows bug jokes!!!!!!\
Bugscope Team still on a mite
Student can you show us a stinkbug?
Student What are "Enchilada Claws"?
Student please?
Student can we look at the stink bug
Bugscope Team if this is like the other ones we have seen, they do have eyes, but they're on the top side of the body
1:36pm
Student why do you use carbon tape? why not paper or something else?
Bugscope Team they help ground the samples. The tape is also useful for helping stick the insects on it
Student Interesting question JW
Student cool
Teacher Awesome picture!
Bugscope Team here's the stink bug
Student awsome!!!^_^
Student It looks a llot like a robot!
Student ugly but cool
Student thats pretty kool!!!
Student Is this a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug?
Student It looks a lot like a robot!
Student ENCHALADAS r yummy (mm) but enchalada claws???
Bugscope Team it was 'cause it looked like an enchilada
Student cool eyes
Student awesome
Student why are there holes all over the shell?
Teacher Yes, this is a BM stink bug. Aidan caught it and we sent it in.
Student what is this
Student what are the dents in the exoskeleton used for
Bugscope Team we think they use them to help get rid of the smell so they don't have to smell it themselves
Student the eyes look weird on the side of the head
Student Where did he catch it Mrs. V?
Bugscope Team I will drive to the dents and show you
Student i never knew the eyes were on the side of its head
Student were is the mouth
Student wow
Student i alway thougth they were on the top of the head
Student what is it?
Student a stink bug once landed on me and my brother it was scary haha lolz we screamed
Student Where are we now
Bugscope Team these are the dents
Student what are those things on the inside of the holes?
Student How much does carbon tape cost?
Bugscope Team the spools we use for the carbon tape cost around $130. It has a lot of uses to it
Teacher Hmmm. I'm not sure where he caught the stink bug. He brought it in from home. However, it was the same kind we had everywhere at the time.
Bugscope Team on the head near one of the eyes
Student What are those objects
Student wow! that is cool
Student dents
Student what are the buubles
Student what si thid?
Student $130 is it because it is made out of carbon?
Student what are those little bubles
Student are those the hole to get rid of the smell??
Bugscope Team these here are thought to help soak up the smell
Student wher are we
Student i love BUBBLES bc that is what the picture looked like
Student wo
Student wow is that a eye
Student is that an eye?
Student Is this the eye?
Student are those the lenses of the compound eye
Student is that the eye
Student what are the bubbles?
Bugscope Team this is the compound eye
Student the picture looks like honey combs
Student it looks like a honey comb
Student Can we see the beetle
Student can we see the domestic beetle
Student can we please seee the domestic beetle larvae
Student lets see a beetle
Student Can we see the Fly tongue please
Student jelly fish feet
Student what are they
Student flippers!
1:41pm
Student can we see the fly tongue?
Student what are they?
Student ._.
Student What would that be?
Student what are those?
Bugscope Team these are a close up of the special hairs that are thought to help soak up the stink smell
Student cool
Student ().()
Student wow head O_O
Student :C B like a little nerdy face haha lolz
Student what are we looking at exactly?
Bugscope Team --.--
Teacher Really interesting shape to those special stink-soaking hairs! Too bad they don't have more of them. :-)
Student X/
Student :-O
Student rox on
Student This is the Leafhopper Proboscus
Bugscope Team yes!
Bugscope Team got it, Noah
Student cool *_*
Bugscope Team it's very spikey
Student :)
Student sword
Student it looks very sharp
Student :()
Student ?
Student :o
Bugscope Team chemoreceptors so it can smell its food
Student :O
Student Really?
Student >>>cool
Student what are those tentacle things
Bugscope Team prob'ly goes into leaves
Student I would have never thought it was sharper then a bee or wasp stinger
Student is that dust on it?
Student _hairs?
Student or it did
Student Why is the picture in black and white?
Student cadidid?
Student what is that
Teacher Seriously, that is a wicked looking thing. Does it need to be so pointy because plants "skin" can be tough?
Bugscope Team I found this one surprising because the other plant eating probosces I've seen are shorter and dont look so sharp
Student Katydid
Student hissing cockroach?
Student is this the fly tongue?
Student what rthose little spikes/hairs/
Bugscope Team fly tongue
Student Why is it in black and white?
Student is it a cadidid
Student is that it's mouth?
Student cool
Student What is this
Student nvermind
Student what is that??
Student cool
Student Why is it in black and white?
Student where are we
Student Very interesting indeed
Student they look like marshmallows
Student it looks like BRAIN
Teacher Nature never ceases to amze with its variety!
Student are those teeth?
Student awesome
Student it looks like teeth
Student and SLIME
Student not a toung
Student how big is the tongue
Bugscope Team sorry the other computer does not let me type very well
1:46pm
Student are those teeth?
Student that looks cool up close
Bugscope Team those are kind of like zippers at the tongue of the fly, which is spongy and moist
Student Why is it in black and white?
Student Can we look at the leafhopper claw?
Student confuzzilation wat r wez talkin bout?
Student ohhh
Bugscope Team insects do not have teeth, but they do have hardened jaws, sometimes
Student lets see the legs
Teacher I meant amaze. And I wonder if the proboscis of a plant eater is adapted to certain plants? I just figured leafhoppers were generalists; are they more picky in their food choice?
Student A fly tongue is a weird specimen
Student whos
Teacher A fly tongue is REALLY well-adapted to the way it makes its living.
Bugscope Team Who knows maybe that leafhopper was built for a different plant
Student what is it?
Student thats kool xD
Student what is this
Student is it the fly?
Student is this the leafhopper claw?
Student Is this still the fly tongue?
Bugscope Team those are fly claws
Student Why is it in Black and White instead of color
Bugscope Team we are using the signal coming from the electrons to gather this image. Color is from the light waves
Student ik
Student serious bug heads
Bugscope Team and you can see the pad full of sticky setae that help the fly stick to surfaces, even glass
Student wow, it looks like it is manmade
Student like a cloth
Teacher Understand why they can walk on the ceiling? :-)
Student so cool
Student im back!^_^
Student cooloz 8-)
Student cool
Bugscope Team Klingon
Student what is that suction cup thingy
Student haha
Student this is wierd!@_@
Bugscope Team actually the guy who looks like this was just here
Student what is it
Student beetle!!!!!
Student beetles
1:51pm
Student i don't like beetles very much
Student why is this in balck and white?
Student cool!!!!*_*
Student (\/)_(\/)
Student awesome
Student Why is it in black and white instead of color?
Student cool!xD
Student is that HAIR COMING out of its eye but t or face
Student what is the weirdest bug you've seen?
Bugscope Team I always thought true bugs in general have funny looking heads. True bugs are insects like cicadas, assassin bugs, ambush bugs, and leafhoppers
Student (-:-(
Teacher Head is at top, I think.
Student (V)_(V)
Student Why is this in black and white instead of color?
Student is that the head or butt
Bugscope Team this right now is the head
Student head!
Student What is the only bug that can turn its head from side to side?
Student wow!!@____@
Student I can see the jaw perfectly!
Student what do domestic beetles eat/
Student is that its head
Bugscope Team weevils are cuter than leafhoppers, even
Student what does it eat???
Student what do domestic beetles eat
Student x| xP
Teacher Was this a specimen you had?
Bugscope Team I think this one hitched a ride with your insects
Student why are the tips flat?
Student o.0
Teacher Awesome!!
Student nasty HAIR COMING OUT OF BUTT ewww
Bugscope Team they are called dermestid beetles
Student wat does the dermesstic beetle eat?
Bugscope Team they eat decaying insects.
Bugscope Team well I should say decaying things, they can also feed on dead animals and humans
Bugscope Team this larva has simple eyes
Student Why is it in black and white instead of color?
Bugscope Team those are the round bumps
Bugscope Team the bumps are stemmata -- eyes
Student ...................................................
Teacher So, it makes sense that this was a passenger in our lot. I did include a couple of bugs I found laying around the room.
Student the hair looks like wheat stalks!1
Student What is this?
Student look like plants
Student they look like trees
Student it looks like ferns in the ocean
Student what are these?
Bugscope Team these are the dermestid setae (bug hairs)
Student scot or cate what does it eat???
Bugscope Team the dermestid eats decaying things
Student no one answers my questions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bugscope Team sorry Saif I am driving and Cate has to answer everyone she can
Student (whew)
1:56pm
Student cool thx cate
Teacher Be patient, kids! They are working on it. Plus Scot has to drive the scope for us.
Student why do they look like trees?
Student ok scot!
Student what insect is this again?
Student Why is it in black and white instead of color?
Bugscope Team we are using electrons not light to get the images. Sometimes, like with a pesticide commercial, you will see the insect images in color, but they were taken with a microscope like this and later false colored
Student can we pelase see the fly wing?
Student can we see the fly wing?
Student can we see the spider head
Student what does the adult look like?
Bugscope Team it looks more like a beetle and less like a worm :)
Student can we see the fly wing
Teacher Lucy, if you remind me, we can find a picture of the adult in class.
Student is that a mite?
Student wow cool
Student a lot of hair!
Student weird! yet cool!
Student why does the carbon tape have the bubbles and cracks on it?
Student can we please see the fly wing?
Student cooloz
Teacher Wolf spider head. Look for the eyes.
Student so cool!!!
Student are those eyes?
Student ya Lucy, weird, but cool
Student Is that its fangs?
Student are those the teeth coming out of the spider head
Teacher Good question, Josh.
Student wierd eyes!@_@
Student y not Joshie
Student Are those hairs setae?
Student the hairs are bumpy
Student hairs!a lot of hair!
Student *|*
Student soooooooo conffuzzled
Bugscope Team we cant see the fangs from this view unfortunately. There is another spider on here where we can see them better
Student *:-)
Student soooooo much hair!!!!!!
Student can we see the fangs?
Student saifs thing is upside down!!!cooloooooooooooooz
Bugscope Team here is another spider
Bugscope Team these are the fangs with lots of hair in between them
Bugscope Team they curve inward towards the spder
2:02pm
Student this is so cool
Student why are they curved?
Student cool fangs
Student i am witing sideways now u can read my smiley faces
Student ''((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Student Can you zoom in so that we could see the cells please?
Bugscope Team we can;t see the cells or the atoms with this microscope. When we hike up the mag it just looks featureless when looking at insects
Student is there some advantage towards the fangs being curved inwards?
Student :CB
Student Oh, okay
Student what are those?
Student hissing cochroach leg please?
Teacher If you can, could we please see the fly wing?
Student fly wing?
Student why are the fangs curved inwards? does that have an advantage?
Student ()_()
Bugscope Team You guys we are going to have to stop because we have other people in the lab to help. I will drive to the fly wing, though...
Student is there an advantage towards the fangs being curved inwards?
Bugscope Team Once they are sunk in the prey, the inward curve would help keep the prey from slipping away
Student ohh
Student kk
Student hi chas
Student hey chas :)
Teacher OK. We are just about out of class time, too! Thanks so much for your help!
Student hello chas!
Student bye
Student bye
Student b b
Bugscope Team Hi Saif! Lucy
Student Bonsoir means good evening in FRENCH
Student we have to go
Student zai tian! (goodbye in chinese)\
Student adios my friends it was nice talking to you!!!!:)
Student au revoir
Bugscope Team Thank You!
Student zai jian- good bye
Student Bye! *:-) :-)
Student salut
Bugscope Team This is the fly wing!
Student Zai Jian (Good Bye in chinese)
Student bye
Bugscope Team Bye all
Student au revoir goodbye in french
Student Bye!
Student Au revoir bye in french
Student >.
Student thats so harry
Student ;-)
Student buh bye ;(
Student BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Student ;( it's over
Student bye
Student Bye Bye. Thank You for Showing us the Insects
Student bye bye
Bugscope Team Thanks, You All!
2:07pm
Bugscope Team I have to go work with someone. Thank you, Mrs V.
Teacher Thank you so much! Even with the issues with the scope it was still a great learning opportunity and a blast!
Teacher And thanks for thpatience answering the kids' questions. :-)
Teacher Bye!

2:12pm

2:18pm

2:25pm

Bugscope Team Hello Bracktt
2:31pm
Guest Hello, is it fully functional?
Bugscope Team Yes, feel free to try it out. I just gave you the controls
Bugscope Team Are you our 2:20 test session?
Bugscope Team Unfortunately I had to remove the presets from the session that concluded because there was a technical issue, but you should see the controls up above the microscope image
Bugscope Team Clicking anywhere in the image will re-center the image on that point, so you can move around

Guest I have played with the controls on the top, but don't see a change when I click inside.
2:36pm
Bugscope Team Can you try clicking towards one of the corners? That will move it the most

Guest so it moves a little on each click, and i can keep clicking for more movement?
Bugscope Team Yes. If you'd like to move larger distances, you can zoom out first, then each click will get you further
Bugscope Team We've had a continuous-drive option in the past, but with the delay of going through the internet it often times got out of control

Bugscope Team The focus increments also change with magnification, so if you need to make large changes it's easiest at lower mag
2:42pm
Guest anything else I should try?

Bugscope Team During a real session there will be a larger list of thumbnails to the left that you can click on to jump to "presets". Areas of interest we marked ahead of time
Bugscope Team You could try clicking on the one test one I've got there

Bugscope Team A couple other things I can point out: Above the controls is some text that tells you roughly where you are (which preset you're nearest to)
Bugscope Team The "More Info" link will overlay the microscope's data bar, so you can see all the current parameters
Bugscope Team Down below the image, to the left, is the scale bar. That's going to update to show you the size of features in the image, like the scale bar in a map
Guest it says I'm near the test preset; I assume there will be more presets in the actual session?
Bugscope Team Yes. There was an issue with the presets from earlier this morning so they had to be deleted, I didn't get a chance to recreate more before you got on. There will probably be ~8-15
Bugscope Team You can use those to jump to interesting things then explore around from there
2:48pm
Bugscope Team That's about it. Just let me know if you've got any questions
Guest cool; I still don't notice a real difference when I click in a corner but my computer says it has downloaded a new image
Bugscope Team Let me give it a go here, I'll click on the top middle

Bugscope Team So I clicked in the middle of the top of the image and it recentered that for me. Is that not how it's working there?
Guest could you do one more,I was distracted

Bugscope Team Ok, you just upped the mag. I'll click to the middle right on the joint of hte leg

Bugscope Team Ok, so it re-centered the on the leg joint. Can you try clicking say in the top left corner of the image?
Guest big change, let me try straight down
2:53pm
Guest hit left corner twice no apparent change
Bugscope Team Hmm. It has to be within the image, the cursor should change to more of a target. Is that what you see?
Guest it stays an arrow
Bugscope Team Hm. Could you try hitting the reload button on the browser just to see if that fixes it?
Bugscope Team we have a user who would like to use the microscope in a few minutes. Is that ok?
Bugscope Team Scott, we're just checking to see if we can get the stage control working for him
Bugscope Team But if we need to go, that's probably OK
2:58pm
Guest no prob, refresh didn't change the cursor but I don;t know what else to try. I'll log off, see you nex Tuesday and thans.
Bugscope Team No problem. Cya

School Name	Winchester THurston School
School Homepage	www.winchesterthurston.org
Location	Allegheny Pennsylvania, United States
Community	Urban
Type	Private

Subjects Taught	MS Science
Grades Taught	6th Grade
Number of Students	44

Project Title	Insect Adaptations
Insects To Study	misc--students will collect
Project Description	Students have learned about insects in class and collected them in the field. We talk about various adaptations of insects and their respective roles in the environment in our unit "Insects & Ecology". Bugscope would allow students to see small scale adaptations, such as setae, etc., close-up. In addition, they can explore insect anatomy in greater depth. I have had the privilege of participating in BugScope with prior classes; BugScope increased my studentsâ€™ enthusiasm for both bugs and the technology used. Even students who are not comfortable with the live bugs we look at in class suddenly become enthusiastic when participating in the live chats with the BugScope scientists (always their favorite part of the experience). In addition to being part of our insect unit, we talk about the experience in our microscopy unit "Wee Beasties" and compare the magnification with our microscopes. Finally, we study the atom in a later unit and I make sure to reference our BugScope experience with the SEM. We discuss how it works---and they are even more amazed.

Session 2010-120 with Winchester THurston School

Application

The School

The Class

The Project

Miscellaneous

Live Session Transcript

Connected on 2011-01-25 12:30:00 from Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States