Confocal Microscopy Virtual Lab

Are you tired of blurry fluorescent microscope images and do you want to move to the next level? In the Confocal Microscopy simulation, you will learn about the benefits of using a confocal microscope over other optical imaging techniques. You’ll get to take a closer look at the setup of this type of microscope and learn how to operate it.

Identify the plant disease

Your overall task will be to investigate a mysterious plant disease found at your uncle’s farm. You’ll make a visit to the farm and take an infected barley sample back to the lab where you canl take a closer look at the specimen by using confocal microscopy.

Take a look inside the microscope

In the Confocal Microscopy lab, you’ll be able to look inside a confocal microscope. Follow the lightpath along the mirrors and through the pinhole, and you’ll soon learn how the powerful light of a laser is used to scan a sample of a single layer. See how the pinhole contributes to the formation of razor-sharp fluorescent images.

Analyze the 3D structure

Your last task in the Confocal Microscopy lab is to choose the optimal exposure and scan line speed to take the best possible fluorescence images of the stained crop sample. Finally, you will take a stack of confocal images to create a 3D rendering that will help you to investigate what has infected your uncle’s barley.

Are you ready to identify the plant disease and give your uncle advice on a potential treatment to save his crops