A deeper dive...
Microscopy - Honors Contract
This page provides a deeper look into one of my honors contracts. I chose to focus on my microscopy honors contract. This page is dedicated to future honors students (specifically those pursuing a forensic science degree) who are seeking inspiration for the types of honors contracts they might want to participate in. To see my other honors contracts, navigate to the "Honors Contracts" tab.
Stereomicroscope
Compound Light Microscope
Polarizing Light Microscope
Summary
I examined known food condiments, such as sugars and starches, along with drugs to determine the identity of three unknown substances. For this analysis, a stereomicroscope and a polarizing light microscope were utilized. Identifying these substances is crucial in forensic science because such food condiments are often used as adulterants in drugs. A lab report describing my findings was written, and a PowerPoint presentation was presented to my forensic microscopy class.
Lab Report
I was required to write a lab report on my findings. This can be seen in the scrollable PDF.
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Writing this lab report taught me to be thorough and in-depth when analyzing or explaining my results. This prepared me well for the lab reports I would be writing in my forensic chemistry labs.
PowerPoint
The second part of this honors contract involved summarizing my findings into a PowerPoint presentation. I had to present this in front of the class and teach them how a polarizing light microscope works since we hadn't discussed it in class yet.
Reflection
This is my favorite honors contract because it was most closely related to the career I want to pursue. It was the first time I really analyzed unknown samples and had to identify them. It was daunting, but also a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in analyzing unknown samples. Teaching the class how a polarizing light microscope works was a valuable experience, as it gave me practice explaining a technique I’m familiar with to people who weren’t. This is important because, in the future, when I testify in court, I might have to explain how certain techniques for analyzing evidence work to a jury.