Physics of the Cell - Microscopy with Foldscope

In the Physics of the Cell course, students explore how physical concepts can provide a complementary expertise to our understanding of life. 2021 remote teaching has limited the ability to interactively demonstrate physical concepts in class. Therefore, instructor and TAs teamed up to setup experimental projects… from the student’s homes.

Each student was provided with a portable microscope called Foldscope. Foldscope is a microscope assembled from paper parts, developed by Jim Cybulski and Manu Prakash. It is now used by a large community across the world.
In their projects, students image microscopic creatures and objects in their surroundings and identified microorganisms. Finally, they used these data to physically explore a biological phenomenon they observed under the lens. Images are the results of the student’s skillful use of their Foldscopes.
BIO244 - Physics of the Cell
Instructor: Alex Persat
TAs: Alice Cont, Cristina Colangelo, Sourabh Monnappa