University Microscope Facility
Explore the microscopes
Learn more about the microscopes available at
St. Francis Xavier University Microscope Facility.
TEM
Philips 410 Transmission Electron Microscope
The TEM transmits a beam of electrons through a small piece of animal or plant tissue allowing the biologist to conduct a detailed investigation of the cells and the interior cellular components present. This powerful instrument can magnify details over 100,000 times and is an excellent tool for experimental scientists to see some of the smallest features of animal and plant cells.
SEM
Jeol JSM 5300 Scanning Electron Microscope
The scanning electron microscope scans a beam of electrons across the external features of small animals or tissue, collects this information, and then magnifies it up to 50,000 times. It is used to identify the surface features of insects, pollen and eggs. As the electron beam interacts with metal, the specimens must first be coated with gold!
Confocal
Olympus Confocal Microscope
The confocal microscope uses lasers to excite fluorescent stains within biological tissue and can tell researchers about the molecular structure of their tissue of interest.