Pageant Workshops in Practical Microscopy
February 2010 - Equipment and Schedule
Royal Microscopical Society (RMS)
Vice President's Award Winner 2009
In February 2010 Pageant held its first Microscopy Workshops in The Gambia. They were designed to pass on essential know-how, as well as supplying basic microscopy equipment to schools which did not have any. The workshops were made possible with a grant from the Royal Microscopical Society, donations of both money and equipment, and generous discounts from many suppliers.
The Pageant team was led by three Fellows of the Royal Microscopical Society, Peter Evennett, Kathy Groves and Pippa Howard, assisted by one of Pippa's ERA colleagues, two retired teachers and three other Pageant members. Workshops were located in four schools, with teachers from some 40 schools attending. Virtually all the kit and ancillary items had to be taken out from the UK, as even quite common things here were unobtainable in The Gambia. The list below shows what was taken out, and everything there was distributed amongst the baggage of the Pageant team. Once again, thanks to Thomas Cook for giving Pageant a generous additional free baggage allowance.
Trekker microscope kit
Optika monocular microscope
wind-up torch used as illuminator
Equipment List
40 Trekker field microscopes
80 wind-up torches
40 plastic storage boxes
250 Bug boxes, 1.5" x3
250 Bug boxes, 1" x4
200 small magnifying glasses
100 pocket loupe x10
40 slide box
180 paper binoculars
100 plastic tweezers
80 6" rulers
200 used film canisters
40 plastic basket
160 single-edge razor blades
40 small card boxes
240 paintbrushes
40 blutac / white tac
40 sellotape
40 Disposable scalpels
80 pads/notebooks
200 glass slides
40 cavity slides
110 sheets of 32 cardboard slides
4 packs elastic bands
4 boxes filter paper 11cm (100 sheets)
400 small poly-bags
1 roll of 80 bin bags for wrapping trays etc
40 glue sticks
400 Plastic petri-dishes
500 plastic pipettes
400 cover slips
80 squares laminated graph paper,
80 A4 plastic wallets
40 sheets labels for slides
80 larger magnifiers
200 plastic spoons
200 plastic cups
40 small plastic storage boxes
40 cheap holdall
40 half-sheets black paper
pens, pencils
40 Course booklets
40 Junior microscope diagram & care leaflets
40 Trekker diagram & use leaflets
40 laminated sheets 'Living World'
40 laminated sheets 'Manufacturing World'
81 Microscopy Sheets - how to observe etc
4 P&K Biolam transmitted light microscopes
3 scissors for prep only
1 washing-up liquid
Workshop schedule
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13/02/2010 Host: Ndow UBS
schools invited - Bakau UBS, Brufut UBS, Charles Jaw UBS, Gunjur UBS*, Kotu UBS, Kunkujang Keitaya UBS, Latrikunda Sabiji UBS, Latrikunda UBS, Tujereng UBS -
15/02/2010 Host: Garba Jahumpa UBS
schools invited - Crab Island UBS, JC Faye UBS, Methodist Academy UBS, SOS UBS, St Augustine UBS, St. John's School for the Deaf UBS, St. Joseph's Past Pupils' UBS, St. Therese's UBS, Tallinding UBS -
17/02/2010 Host: Barra Essau UBS
schools invited - Albreda UBS, Bakalarr BCS, Berending UBS, Fass BCS, Kerewan UBS, Medina Seringe Mass BCS, Ndungu Kebbeh BCS, St Michael Njongone BCS -
20/02/2010 Host: Abuko UBS
schools invited - Bakoteh UBS, Brikama UBS, Brikama Methodist UBS, Greater Banjul UBS*, Jamisa UBS, Kabafita UBS, Mingdaw UBS, St Francis UBS, St Peter's UBS, Sukuta UBS - schools marked * did not attend