Virtual Microscopy in Botany

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Virtual Microscopy in BotanyLife Sciences | Science |

ROSANNE QUINNELL, SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

The ‘end game’ is for students to be able to examine microscopic structures of cells and tissue of multicellular organisms and correctly interpret what they see

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VM allows the task of learning how to use the microscope from the task of learning the biology of cells and tissue systems to be separated so lack of

ability in the former task does not impede students engaging in the latter task

https://slidebox.ucc.usyd.edu.au/dsb/webViewer.php?snapshotId=1346460981

Students can revisit the task offered in the lab. Greater exposure to the pattern recognition and interpretations -> enabling the development of the “sensitivities” of a biologist [Tishman, Jay,

Perkins, 1993; http://www.hanzeuniversity.org/NR/rdonlyres/A27B3293-2FA6-43CD-8DED-7899FFD7C42B/0/teachingthinkingdispositions.pdf

]

Improving back end management & front end pedagogy: focus of an ICT FREIP project

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Digital Image

Hub

Digital Slide Box aka Slidepath: the FRONTEND

~$20/slide xy scan*

Scan retrieved from DIH

Students log onto

SlidePath*

Mobile devices

iPad requires VPN

Link to eBot

1. Currently limited by existing resources, an issue for botany 3. Authentication system to

be resolved -> linked to unikey & enrolment before wider rollout across USYD

2. System architecture: is it ready for 2000 students? Vet Sci project, Jan Slapeta

5. Integrate scans with existing resources in eBOT, requires compatible metatagging system + index of scans for ease of retrieval and sharing

4. Academic support modules for new users, J Slapeta

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 TRIAL Virtual SlideBox for Plant Anatomy You will need to have 'flash' installed, downloads may be slow. I have only been able to get these

images when using Safari as the browser.

SHOOT STRUCTURE 1: Shoot apex and leaves

VASCULAR AND GROUND TISSUES

SHOOT STRUCTURE 2: Primary stems & variations in light-harvesting struct. 

PRIMARY ROOTS AND INTRODUCTION TO CAMBIA 

SECONDARY GROWTH IN STEMS & ROOTS AND ANATOMY OF WOOD

PLANTS IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS 

1 LS shoot apex of Vicia faba 2 LS shoot apex of Myriophyllum sp. 3 Epidermal peel of Tradescantia sp. 4 TS leaf of Ligustrum sp. (nsa) 5 TS leaf of Eucalyptus sp. 6 TS leaf of Bromus sp. 

1 T.S. petiole of Apium graveolens  2 Spinifex sp. macerated tissue.3 T.S. & L.S. stem of Cucurbita sp.(nsa) 4 L.S. shoot apex of Vicia faba 5 L.S. root tip of Zea mays  6 R.L.S. old stem of Cucurbita sp.  (nsa) 

1 TS young & old stem of Vicia faba  2 TS stem of Zea mays (nsa) 3 TS stem of Cucurbita sp. (nsa) 4 TS stem of Lycopersicon sp. (Solanum) 5 TS stem of Dianthus sp. 6 TS stem of Medicago sp. (nsa) 7 TS stem of Helianthus sp. (nsa) 8 TS stem of Triticumaestivum 9 TS stem of Peperomia sp. 

1 LS root tip of Vicia faba2 TS root tip of Vicia faba at 3 stages  3 TS young root of Viciafaba (nsa) 4 TS root of Ranunculus sp.  5 TS root of Iris sp. 6 TS root of Smilax sp. 7 TS very young root of Agapanthus sp.  8 TS young root of Agapanthus sp. 9 TS old root of Agapanthus sp. 10 TS root of Vicia faba with laterals (nsa) 11 TS root of Lupinus sp. (nsa) 

1 Permanent mount of old Hydrangea sp. stem (nsa) 2 Permanent mount of Rose root3 TS Cucurbita sp. stem (nsa) 4 TS Coleus sp. stem5 TS Young stem Tilia sp. 6 TS One-year Tilia sp. stem 7 TS, T.LS & RLS 5-6 years old Tilia sp. stem 8 TS Ricinus communis root 9 TS, RLS & TLS Acacia longifolia stem (nsa) 10 TS, RLS & TLS Grevillea robusta stem 

1 LS Myriophyllum shoot (+ 1A, TS Myriophyllum shoot) 2 TS Juncus (rush) stem (nsa) 3 TS Juncus stem with aerenchyma (nsa) 4 TS Nymphaea (Water lily) leaf (nsa) 5 TS Hakea dactyloides leaf 6 TS Hakea sericea leaf 7 TS Banksia oblongifolia leaf (nsa) 8 TS Lambertia formosa (Mountain devil) leaf (nsa) 9 TS Eucalyptus sp. leaf10 TS Homalocladium sp. cladode 11 TS Allocasuarinadistyla (She-oak) cladode 12 TS Spinifex hirsutus (Dune grass) leaf

nsa = no scan available

Metatags: lessons from eBOT

http://ebot.library.usyd.edu.au/index.jsp?page=home

6http://bugs.bio.usyd.edu.au/learning/resources/plant_form_function/index.html

While issues of ‘signon’ are being dealt with… I am able to provide access to Slidepath via our UoS resource page

Thanks!