TOLD ABOUT SNAGS

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31211, 8 November 1966, Page 14

TOLD ABOUT SNAGS

Reader Studies Microscopes

In 96 days overseas, Mr B. C. Arnold, reader in botany at the University of Canterbury, visited 28 laboratories with electron-microscopes in Australia, Canada and England and found “what not to do” more important than “what to do” with these instruments. Mr Arnold said he was sent overseas on an Erskine fellowship to get “rules of thumb” for managing the electronmicroscope the University of Canterbury will commission next year. Although Canterbury sometimes lagged in time, he said, this had obvious advantages in learning from the mistakes of others. With electron-microscopes this meant the availability of such versatile machines as the Hitachi H. 5.7 model Canterbury would install. It also meant the simpler operation found in the latest models which no longer required a physicist in charge. Improving ease of operation and more reasonable costs, Mr Arnold said, were now leading to electron-microscopes for separate departments. The earliest were established as electron-microscope centres shared by botany, zoology, medicine and similar departments, But it was now found that much time was wasted in adjusting the instruments to the different needs of different disciplines. One for each department was considered economic in saving time. Whatever system was adopted there were considerable differences in management. Mr Arnold said he would be reporting on these to the University Council. While making these inquiries, Mr Arnold also observed the teaching of biology I as a common introductory unit instead of botany 1 and zoology 1. Canterbury would introduce this scheme next year with biology 1A and IB as separate units. Here again, Mr Arnold said, Canterbury had benefitted from the experience of others. The Schools of Biological Sciences at Cambridge and Birkbeck College, London, used this division. Others which tried to cover everything in one biology I unit were finding time insufficient to cram in all that should be taught.