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11. Mar. 2023
As hard as it may seem to believe, we are surrounded by a wondrous microverse, imperceptible to the human eye, inhabited by a host of fantastic creatures. The Days of Electron Microscopy, which will take place in Brno from 20 to 26 March 2023, will tell you about it and the ways of observing it.
The symbol of this year's Days of Electron Microscopy is a giant model of a „water bear“. Although you can hardly see this strange animal in the real world - even the largest ones are the size of a poppy seed - they are almost immortal. Like the heroes of comic book adventures, they can survive the heat of boiling water and the cold of space. They don't mind radioactive or ultraviolet radiation, can withstand all kinds of poisonous gases, and can withstand pressure equivalent to two hundred kilometres below the Earth's surface.
You can see the larger-than-life model of the „water bear“ from Tuesday afternoon, 21 March, until Sunday evening, 26 March. Together with an exhibition of unique photographs taken with electron microscopes, it will be waiting for you in the Vaňkovka shopping gallery.
Don't forget to stop by Moravské náměstí, where another of the inflatable models created for electron microscopy - a 10-meter nanostructure - will be on display. It will be surrounded by breathtaking photographs of invisible superheroes.
The "spiderman" Jeremy Poole, an English engineer whose passion for electron microscopy led to the acquisition of an electron microscope for his own garage, will also come to Brno to share his experiences. At a lecture on Thursday 23 March at the Brno Observatory and Planetarium, he will talk about, among other things, his passion for spiders - after all, the images of the microworld that he took himself will be presented on Moravské náměstí.
However, there are many more events and activities awaiting you, from excursions to normally inaccessible spaces, workshops to a competition. Whether you are a curious person interested in all things technical, a complete layman, a student or just looking for a good tip for an afternoon with the kids, you are sure to find something to choose from the Electron Microscopy Days programme. Just click on http://dem.brno.cz. Here you can also watch the unique programme NanoKam or a report on Brno companies involved in electron microscopy.
Electron microscopy is now an essential part of medicine, forensics, archaeology, materials research and the aerospace industry. Forget about ordinary lenses and light, you need an electromagnetic field and a stream of electrons to explore the real microworld. This is the only way to achieve the magnification under which viruses, molecules and atoms become visible. Details up to 10 million times smaller than the human eye can see.
Scanning electron microscopes are used to analyse the properties of various surfaces, transmission electron microscopes to study internal structures and even to image individual atoms. Every third electron microscope in the world, this "miracle" of modern science and technology, comes from Brno!
All this will be commemorated at this year's Days of Electron Microscopy. This year marked by invisible heroes who are all around us or right in our bodies. They save the planet, defend our immunity or can survive in extreme conditions. Electron microscopes are the way to get a closer look.
You can find out more about what we are planning at CEITEC MUNI and CEITEC BUT as part of the Electron Microscopy Days 2023 programme HERE (only in Czech).
We are preparing for you not only an exhibition of 3D models and microscopic images, but also a unique tour of our laboratories, for which registration is already open. You are also invited to the public lecture "Superhero electron in the macro- and micro-world", which will be given by Ing. Petr Dvořák, PhD. from CEITEC BUT/FME on March 24, 2023 at 5:00 pm at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering BUT (lecture will be in Czech Language).
The Days of Electron Microscopy are organized by the Brno Observatory and Planetarium in cooperation with a number of companies and institutions: Bishop's Grammar School Brno, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, CEITEC MUNI, CEITEC BUT, Czechoslovak Microscopy Society, Delong Instruments, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Brno University of Technology, NenoVision, Technical Museum Brno, TESCAN, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Institute of Instrumentation of the Czech Academy of Sciences and VIDA! science centre. The event is supported by the Statutory City of Brno and the South Moravian Region, other partners are TIC Brno and Gallery Vaňkovka.