Bens Branch Elementary
Session 2010-003

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School

Class

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Miscellaneous

Transcript

Connected on 2010-03-05 13:15:00 from Porter, TX, US

• 12:15 pm
• Bugscope Teampumping down...
• Bugscope Team1.6...
• 12:21 pm

• 12:26 pm

• 12:31 pm
• Bugscope Teamstarting presets

• 12:37 pm

• 12:43 pm
• Bugscope Teamhi cheryl! welcome to bugscope!
• Bugscope Teamwow, that was fast
• Bugscope Teamwe are setting up presets for the session that starts in 30 minutes
• Bugscope TeamHi Cheryl!
• GuestIs the class online yet?
• Bugscope TeamThe class should be online at 1:15.

• Bugscope Teamif we can finish presets soon, we'll give you access tot he scope before the class gets online
• Bugscope TeamCheryl do you see the whole page?
• GuestNeat, Alex! It looks like the whole page, I see the large image on top, smaller images on the right.

• Bugscope TeamAnnie!
• Bugscope TeamHi kids!
• Bugscope TeamAnnie is our PhD entomologist, out in California.
• Bugscope Teamcool cheryl. when we give you control (only one person can control at one time) then you'll see microscope controls to the right of the live image

• GuestIt's a virtual world. I'll keep my eye out for the controls.
• Bugscope TeamAnnie, Cheryl will be working with us in an upcoming session, and she just got on to check things out.
• 12:49 pm
• Bugscope TeamCool, hi Cheryl

• GuestHello, this is neat!
• Bugscope Teamwe usually get 20-25 presets per session, so we are almost done
• Bugscope TeamThe presets we are making now run along next to the chat, as you can see. When we pluck questions out and answer them individually, they will show up on the left. And as Alex said, when we give someone control they will see those controls to the right of the viewing screen.
• Bugscope TeamThis is a boy earwig
  Bugscope TeamYou can tell by the bowed cerci--

• Bugscope TeamEarwigs often have mites, which is why we particularly like them.
• GuestBugs on bugs are very cool.

• Bugscope TeamCheryl you had asked in email about the feedback. That is something you fill out, fairly short, to let us know how the session went for you and the class.
• Bugscope TeamHi cubs!
• Bugscope Teamhi cubs welcome back to bugscope
• Bugscope Teamthis is the spider's retention plan.

• Bugscope Teamsuper nice spider mouthparts today
• GuestGreat, Scot. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't need to have surveys printed for the students.
• GuestThank you... we will be conducting a session later in March... but I wanted the students to see what we are going to do

• Bugscope Teamsometimes (Hi Rob!) students log in on their own computers, as in a computer lab.
• GuestI see controls.
• 12:54 pm
• Bugscope TeamIf you have enough computers, it works really well if you let a couple of students share and type the questions directly
• Bugscope Teamokay cheryl, it's all yours, you have control of the scope, and the session is unlocked
• Bugscope Teamand sometimes we can then give them control, with the teacher's permission
• Bugscope Teamthese are the bristles (setae) on the compound eye of the fruit fly
• GuestWe will have 10 computers so our kids can be two to a computer.
  Bugscope Teamthat is a great way to do a session
• Bugscope Teamfeel free to ask us if you have any questions, otherwise you can drive around as you wish
• Bugscope TeamCheryl you can drive, change mag, select a preset, etc.
• Guestokay.

• Bugscope Teamwe often work with students two to a computer
• Bugscope TeamThey typically get really involved and ask great questions. Some of the questions are funny--they ask about digestion and excretion and other things that they think are "gross." I am always happy to answer those kinds of questions.

• Bugscope Teamnice, good job!

• GuestYup, gross is good.
• Bugscope Teamnow, as you drive around, kids would be asking all kinds of questions, and we will be doing our best to answer them all

• Bugscope Teamthese are the ommatidia -- the facets of the compound eye
• Bugscope Teameach facet has a lens in it
• GuestNeat. What are the hairs? How are the presets used?

• Bugscope Teamand those spikes are called setae, we think the help the insect fly

• Bugscope TeamSometimes the teachers get embarrassed when the kids ask about "bug poop"--but we don't get offended ;)

• Bugscope Teamsetae is pronounced see-tee

• Bugscope Teamthe hairs help the fruit fly assess windspeed and direction
• Bugscope Teamcheryl, you are a pro at this, you will have no problem during your session...
• GuestThe setae in the eye helps them fly?
  Bugscope TeamYes, it helps them to navigate in the wind

• Bugscope Teamand the presets let you leap from one sample to another
  Bugscope Teamwell, that's one idea yes, those setae in the eye are mechanosensory and sense wind speed, direction, etc. and that helps the insect to react quickly to changes in the air

• 12:59 pm
• GuestI think that statement alone could get more kids interested in science.
• Bugscope TeamHahaha
• GuestSo I can just click on a preset and get that image?
  Bugscope Teamtotally, go for it

• Bugscope Teamyeah!

• GuestI'm scared of spiders so this will be good.
• Bugscope Teamif you get lost or bored or way out of focus you can go to the next preset
• GuestAnd then I can move around?
  Bugscope Teamyep
• Bugscope Teamthis is the retention plan

• Bugscope Teamyes you can move from here

• Bugscope TeamYes, it is easiest to use "click to center" rather than "click to drive"
• Bugscope Teamtake the mag up or down, drive around

• Bugscope Teamclick to drive is kind of hard to control remotely

• Bugscope TeamYou just have to be more patient using click to center--which is a problem for me
• GuestWhat sorts of parts do the kids generally find most interesting?
  Bugscope TeamMouths, eyes, usually

• Bugscope Teamthey seem to like claws, they can look kinda cool and dangerous

• Bugscope Teamthe kids are intrigued that insects have claws, as Alex said

• Bugscope Teamand they love creepy stuff, like we do
• Bugscope Teama mite stuck to the eye of an earwig -- who wouldn't like that?

• Bugscope Teamthis stinger is still inside the abdomen - looks like it's been used
• GuestI'm also noticing that the preset image on the right has the name of the part but not the large image - so I guess I'll announce the changes as I move around
  Bugscope Teamif you click on the scale bar (lower left) in the image, it will tell you what the image is, as well as lots of other cool info
• GuestInside the wasps abdomen?
  Bugscope Teamyes you can see that the abdomen is busted open a bit

• 1:04 pm

• Bugscope Teamone thing you can do is click right on the micron bar, and you will see, superimposed on the screen, the description of where you are, the mag, etc.

• GuestAh.

• GuestWhy is the abdomen busted open?
  Bugscope Team'cause Cate is a savage and mashed it onto the stub when she made the sample
• Bugscope Teamif you do click the micron bar to see that info, click the micron bar again to make it go away

• GuestOh, Cate.
• Bugscope TeamActually the wasp was a little crushed when we got it.

• GuestDoes the ant have something in it's mouth?

• Bugscope Teamyeah oops :)

• Bugscope Teamyeah looks like it was eating rocks
• Guestyummy

• Guestwhat is the wispy hair thing?
  Bugscope Teamsome plant fiber, likely
• Bugscope TeamCan we show you the inside of the microscope for a sec?
• GuestSure.
• 1:09 pm
• Guestooh, cool. Is the platform on the left where the bugs are mounted?
  Bugscope Teamyes that is in the vacuum, and it is the platform, as you said. it is 1.75 inches in diameter
• Guestwhat other questions should I encourage the kids to ask?
  Bugscope Teamwell, usually kids will go bonkers and ask TOO many questions. but if yours are quiet, i would suggest having the look at each body segment in detail, they'll come up with questions then...

• Bugscope Teamcompound eyes are also really interesting, and we always have 1-2 compound eyes in the preset list
• Bugscope TeamThey can ask about what the insect eats, where it lives, what are its predators (if any)
• Guestokay. I will trust that the coolness of the bugs will inspire their curiousity.

• Bugscope TeamAgghhh!! What is this?
  Bugscope Teamheh it's a headless Pekingese
• Bugscope Teamthey often seem to go feral, practically

• Bugscope Teamoh it is a leg
• Bugscope TeamBugs are also very hairy, so there's lots of stuff we can explain about what those hairs are and why insects need them, etc.

• Bugscope Teamwe can really be chatty too, it's usually never a problem, being too quiet i mean

• GuestIts a walrus nose

• Bugscope TeamA very SMALL walrus!

• 1:14 pm

• Guestclick to center is easier than click to drive
  Bugscope Teamdefinitely

• Bugscope Teamright on cheryl

• Bugscope Teamwhen we get to high mag like this the electron beam can distort the sample a little
• GuestOkay, I think I've go the hang of it. I could do this for another hour but I've got other work to do and I imagine the kids will be with you any minute
• Bugscope TeamExcellent driving!
• Bugscope TeamThank You Cheryl!
• Bugscope Teamthanks cheryl, see you on the 13th then
• GuestThanks so much for letting me do this!
• Bugscope Teamyou did great
• GuestSee you on the 13th
• 1:20 pm

• Bugscope TeamHi Jenn!
• Bugscope TeamWelcome back!
• Bugscope Teamhi, welcome back to bugscope!

• Bugscope Teamwe are ready anytime, we've got 23 cool presets for you today

• TeacherThanks for having us again! This is my last class and they say hello!
• Bugscope TeamHi guys!
• Bugscope Teamthis is a new sample.
• Bugscope Teamhi class! welcome
• Bugscope TeamHello!
• Bugscope Teamhey everyone!
• TeacherHello!

• TeacherCool fruit fly!
• Bugscope Teamhere is a wasp head
• TeacherLooks cool!
• Bugscope Teamnotice the mandibles around the mouth area
• Bugscope Teamthose mandibles help the wasp to scoop food into its mouth
• Bugscope Teamyou can see where one of the antennae broke off, likely after the wasp died
• Bugscope Teamand there's supposed to be two antennae on top of the head, but one is broken off
• Bugscope TeamThe mandibles are folded pretty neatly into the head, but you can see some cusps on the end, kind of like a human tooth.
• Bugscope Teamthe compound eyes are very interesting, they are made up of thousands of individual facets, called ommatidia, each one has a lens in it
• TeacherOh Yeah! A sharp tooth

• TeacherIt needs to shave.
  Bugscope Teamfive o'clock shadow

• 1:25 pm

• TeacherIt looks ugly!

• Bugscope TeamAll those little hairs on the mandibles are kind of like taste buds.

• TeacherWhat do they eat?
  Bugscope TeamSome adult wasps are predatory, but others feed on nectar and sugars.

• Bugscope Teamso if the wasp shaved it would not be able to taste its food

• TeacherHow do they hear? with antenae or do they just feel?
  Bugscope TeamGood question! A lot of insects have a thin, stretched membrane called a tympanum that vibrates with noise, letting them hear. Some insects have it on their legs, others on their sides. Not sure where it is in a wasp, or even if it's present!

• Bugscope Teamthis is a spiracle -- this is how insects breathe
• Bugscope Teamthis hole, this is how they breathe, this is a spiracle

• TeacherLooks like goo!
  Bugscope Teamyou are looking into the entrance to the tracheae -- the tubes that deliver air into the body
• Bugscope Teampraying mantises have one large 'ear'

• 1:30 pm

• TeacherHow many ears do they have?
  Bugscope TeamMost insects that have ears have one--not every insect has a real "ear" and we are still learning about those that do.

• Bugscope TeamIt does look a little drippy. Spiracles are usually covered with hairs and flanges to help keep water inside - this is easiest place for insects to lose body water.
• Bugscope Teamsee how there's another spiracle just below the one we were looking at?

• Bugscope Teamthe joints we are looking at now are called 'petioles'
• Bugscope TeamOoh, a lot of ants today.

• Bugscope Teamsome ants have one petiole and some two
• Bugscope Teamthese are the cercopods, or cerci, of a male earwig
• Bugscope Teamthe male earwigs have pinchers that are more curved and open

• TeacherHow long does it live?
  Bugscope TeamMost insects, including earwigs, will live two or three months as adults. It varies quite a bit though, with climate. For example, here is California, earwigs are around all year, so they may live longer as adults.

• TeacherHow do you know if its male or female?
  Bugscope Teamfemales have straight pinchers while males are more curved and open

• TeacherWhat do they eat?
  Bugscope TeamThey are sort of general decomposers. They eat rotten leaves and fungus. However, they also are serious pests of plants. They LOVE to eat leaves of garden plants--especially my swiss chard!!!

• Bugscope TeamEarwigs will overwinter where I am, in Illinois. However, they probably don't live longer than a year.
• 1:35 pm

• Bugscope Teamhere we see one of the setae that are sensory -- that stick through the cuticle and connect to nerves beneath it

• Bugscope TeamAnnie has not been very thrilled about earwigs lately

• Teacherwhy Annie?
  Bugscope TeamThey are eating all my plants!! I can't grow anything because the earwigs and slugs eat the seedlings as soon as they emerge

• Bugscope Teamit's because Annie goes outside more often, to mess around in the dirt

• TeacherWhat is a palp?
  Bugscope TeamIt's an oral appendage - kind of like a leg around your mouth. The tip is covered in tiny sensory structures to taste and feel the food.

• Bugscope Teamthe things we see now are thought to be chemosensory -- they help the ladybug taste its food
• Bugscope Teamthey're like tastebuds

• Bugscope TeamMy yu choy is a goner and my Swiss chard is chewed up!

• TeacherSorry about your plants

• Bugscope Team:(
• 1:40 pm
• TeacherWhat do ladybugs eat?
  Bugscope Teamthey eat other insects
  Bugscope TeamThey love to eat aphids, which makes most ladybugs very beneficial predators.

• Bugscope TeamBut onto palps!!

• Bugscope Teamheh, there's another palp to the right
• Bugscope Teamyeah aphids are soft, not so crunchy like most bugs
• Bugscope Teamnow there's a ball right in the center, i don't know what it is but we are going to go check it out
• Bugscope TeamOther ladybugs eat scale insects, which are another big pest.

• TeacherHow high do ladybugs jump?
  Bugscope TeamI've never seen one jump - but they are decent at flying and will do so when disturbed. I imagine they can fly several hundred feet in the air.

• Bugscope Teamthis is odd, a perfectly shaped sphere...

• TeacherWhere do most ladybugs live?
  Bugscope TeamThere are species of ladybugs all over the world. They live anywhere there is a food source for them--so farm fields, forests. There are some species of ladybug that actually eat plants and are considered pests. They are more restricted in their range to places where their host plants grow.

• TeacherWhat is the sphere?
  Bugscope Teamwell, we weren't sure at all, although it's odd it was so perfectly round.
• Bugscope Teamsometimes we find small spheres like this. they may be combustion byproducts; they may be latex from tires. we don't know for sure
  Bugscope TeamWe've been debating that. None of us are quite sure. :)
• 1:46 pm
• Bugscope Teamthis is a ladybug wing
• Bugscope Teamsome mites have eggs that a almost perfectly round like that too

• Bugscope Teamare, that is
• Bugscope TeamIn the eastern US, one species of ladybug will live in your house during the winter. It's quite annoying.
• Bugscope Teamthese are microsetae

• Bugscope Teamthey are not likely to have a sensory function
• TeacherLooks like thorns

• Bugscope TeamI think they add surface area to the wing and help catch air. also, if you had smooth wings and they got wet they would be hard to unstick from flat surfaces. but if you had tiny setae on them they would not stick so readily

• Bugscope Teamwhen we are a super high mag like this the electron beam distorts the image we see

• Bugscope TeamJenn would the class like the see the inside of the microscope?

• TeacherYes please
• Bugscope Teamthis is the inside of the microscope chamber
• Bugscope Teamsee all your bugs on the stub there?
• TeacherHow big is the SEM? Can it fit in a classroom?
  Bugscope Teamthe entire scope is the size of a desk, yeah it can fit in a classroom
• TeacherWow!
• Bugscope Teamthe electron beam comes from the top, and the secondary electrons from the conductive coating on the surface of the sample are attracted to the cage on the right
• 1:51 pm
• Bugscope Teamthe chamber we see now is in a fairly high vacuum
• TeacherA science lab table size or smaller classroom desk size?
• Bugscope Teammore of the science lab table size

• Bugscope Teamthe scanning electron microscope needs its own chilled water, its own air, its own nitrogen, and its own filtered electrical power
• TeacherThey cost alot right?
  Bugscope Teamthey can be quite expensive , but as scot said, this cost us 600,000

• Bugscope Teamyes this was around $600,000 11 years ago

• TeacherOver half a million!

• Bugscope Teamthere are small SEMs that sit on a table, but they are not as good as ours -- they do not have the same high resolution capabilities

• TeacherYour SEM is awesome!
• TeacherThank you for sharing it with us!

• Bugscope Teamwe train people to use the microscopes to do their own research

• Bugscope Teamit is really so much fun to be able to do this
• Bugscope Teamthere's another perfectly shaped sphere in the lower left
• TeacherWho thought of Bug Scope first?
  Bugscope Team11+ years ago the head of our group, Clint Potter, thought of this
• Bugscope Teamthese hooks are tenent setae on a ladybug
• 1:56 pm
• Bugscope Teamhe is long gone, and we have refined the original idea, but it is really basically what he had imagined
• TeacherThank you for doing this we love it!
  Bugscope Teamthat is so great that you are all having so much fun!
• Bugscope TeamI was hired to set up the SEM -- before it came in, and the first project was to make this work
• Bugscope Teamthese are tiny setae that help the ladybug stick to surfaces

• Bugscope TeamWe're looking at the underside of a ladybug foot, in case you lost us.
• Bugscope Teamthe setae are on a pad called a 'pulvillus'

• Bugscope Teamnow you can see more of the tarsi, which is what the forearm segments are called
• Bugscope Teamyou can see the claw at the bottom of the image we see now

• Bugscope TeamThese claws help the insect hang onto rough surfaces, like tree bark.
• Bugscope Teamthe claw opens and closes when the ladybug moves a tendon called an unguitractor that is inside of the shaft of the tarsus
• Bugscope TeamWhereas the tenant setae you saw earlier are useful for smoother surfaces like leaves (or window glass).

• 2:02 pm
• Bugscope Teamthere is the wing, part of it, sticking out from under the elytra, which is the shell that covers the wings, normally

• Bugscope TeamMost insects have two pairs of wings, but in beetles the forewings are hardened into a protective shell, and are called "elytra." The second pair is used for flight, and that's what we see poking out.

• Bugscope Teamthis is a mold spore

• Bugscope Teamand this is the head of a cockroach!]
• Bugscope Teamyou can see that the antennae are broken off
• TeacherLooks pretty cool
• Bugscope Teamand the eyes are there, but they are hard to see because they are streamlined into the curve of the head

• Bugscope Teamthe compound eyes here are hard to distinguish
• Bugscope Teamsee the golfball-like surface now?
• Bugscope Teamthat is the compound eye -- it is so smooth!
• TeacherWe like mini golf

• Bugscope Teamthis is super mini golf!
• 2:07 pm

• Bugscope Teameach one of those bumps is a facet, with a lens in it
• Bugscope Teamthe facets are called ommatidia

• Bugscope Teamthe lens's are stuck in position though, they don't move around like our eye lens's can

• Bugscope Teamhmm, what's this? juju or something else?

• Bugscope Teamlooks like there is a thin film on the surface of the eye -- some dried liquid

• Bugscope Teamthe ommatidia are really hard to see here

• Bugscope Teamnow we see the head of a rolypoly
• TeacherLooks like its mad
• Bugscope Teamits eyes are sometimes hard to find
• Bugscope Teamyeah they do look mad to me as well

• Bugscope TeamThese guys are called Armadillidium, because they can roll up like an armadillo.

• TeacherArmadillo are our state animal in Texas!
• Bugscope Teamroly poly's are very cool, one of my favorite crustaceans...
• TeacherWhy do they have claws?
  Bugscope Teammost insects have some kind of claws, they help them grab onto food, or for defense, or holding onto things they are climbing. some claws might have a comb on them too, to hep brush dirt away from compound eyes or mouths...
  Bugscope TeamCrustaceans are "biramous" - every appendage ends in a claw. Insects are "uniramous," which means their legs end in a single segment (usually).
• Bugscope TeamLike Alex said, they are crustaceans, not insects - they are closer to a crab than a bug.
• Bugscope Teamthey are also called 'isopods' because all of their little feet are the same
• 2:12 pm
• TeacherHow do they smell?
  Bugscope TeamSimilar to insects - they use special hairs on their antennae and other body parts.
• Bugscope TeamMonarch butterflies, famously, can smell with their feet.
• TeacherDo they swim?
  Bugscope TeamThis particular species doesn't like to be in water and will drown. But if you head to the coast (say, Corpus Christi), you will find very similar little guys living on docks that love the water.

• TeacherWhat part is this?

• Bugscope Teamthis is a beetle, it's head area
• Bugscope Teamthis is a beetle, and we are looking at the underside of the body

• Bugscope Teamthe mandibles are in front of the mouth, and curved, i think those are mandibles....?

• Bugscope TeamThe mandibles are at the top of the picture.

• Bugscope Teamand now we are going to look at the compound eye, nice!
• Bugscope TeamNow we've got the eye. Great view!

• Bugscope Teamsee how the ommatidia are much better defined here than they were on the roach

• TeacherLooks like tiny balls
• 2:17 pm

• Bugscope Teamyep, each ball has an eye lens in it

• TeacherHow much can you magnify till?
  Bugscope Teamwell, the scope can mag up to 600,000 times or more, but for a generalized presentation like this, we go no more than 40,000 times....
• Bugscope Teamthe insect brain combines the hundreds of images into one concrete image. human brains do that as well, but with only two different images
• Bugscope Teamthat was a fracture of the mud or whatever it is on eye

• Bugscope Teamwhen we use the microscope for Bugscope we are at a long working distance from the electron beam so we can go to lower mag
• Bugscope Teamso the high mag images are not as good as they can be

• Bugscope Teamthese are the mandibles
• Bugscope Teama close-up of one of the mandibles

• 2:22 pm

• Bugscope Teamthis is the base of an antenna i think?

• Bugscope Teamwe are down on the thorax now
• Bugscope Teamhere's a fruit fly

• Bugscope Teamfly's usually have very large and well defined compound eyes
• Bugscope Teamthe proboscis is sticking out of its mouth area - this proboscis is very messy
• Bugscope Teamthe fruit fly has a little comb built into its arm
• Teacherhello! Looks like it waving hello
• Bugscope Teamyes it is happy to see you
• Bugscope Teamyes just like yesterday, but this is a different fruit fly
• TeacherHow do they defend themselves?
  Bugscope Teamthey seem to be poorly defended, but they can see very well with those round lobe-like eyes, and that helps them get away from predators
• Bugscope Teamthe proboscis -- the projecting mouthparts -- are a little dried up. they are usually more swollen, and kind of sponge-like

• 2:27 pm

• Bugscope Teami think part of most insect species defense is the ability to reproduce at enormous rates. each individual doesn't have super powers, but as a whole, they are pretty unstoppable in most cases
• Bugscope Teamvery cool image from the scope here
• Bugscope Teamthis is the shaft of the haltere, which is a modified hindwing that beats opposite the way the wings beat
• Bugscope Teamthese are called hypertrophied mechanoreceptors, i believe, right scott?
• Bugscope Teamyes!
• Bugscope Teamthey let the fly feel how its halteres are beating in response to the wings

• TeacherLooks like a tunner

• Bugscope Teamthe haltere beets opposite to wing, and bounces off the insect, like a punching bag
• Bugscope Teamnow we are looking at the haltere itself

• Bugscope Teamthis is creepy now, scary
• Bugscope Teamthese are spider fangs!

• Teacheroh!

• Bugscope Teamkind of scary
• Bugscope Teamthe fangs have sharp edges that help cut into the spider's prey
• TeacherWhat are those things beside the fangs on the right?
• 2:32 pm
• Bugscope Teamthat is the spider's retention plan ;)
• Bugscope Teamthe spider grabs its prey and holds it between the fangs and those spikes to ensure that it has a good grip
• TeacherThank you so much for such a wondeful opportunity! We really enjoyed this! Thank You All!
• Bugscope Teamremember...
• Bugscope TeamThank You!
• TeacherWe love Bugscope!
• Bugscope TeamSee you next year!
• Bugscope Teamall the chat and images are saved to your member page: http://bugscope.beckman.illinois.edu/members/2010-003
• Bugscope Teamover and out!
• Bugscope Teamawesome! sign up again for your future classes!
• Bugscope Teamyou can review the session with any students, anytime
• TeacherYou will :)
• TeacherI filled out evaluation yesterday do I need to do another one
  Bugscope Teamno, one eval is fine, thanks for doing that, it helps us make sure bugscope is a good experience for teachers
• Bugscope Teamwe are going to have to run now, we've got some scientists that need to use the scope for another projects
• Bugscope Teamokay, gotta run, thanks and great job!
• Bugscope Teamclosing down the session now