What’s new?

This page gives notices and pointers to (roughly) the last six months’ events of the Quekett Microscopical Club, some important forthcoming events, and any other items of interest we can’t find a place for elsewhere…


Brian Darnton

Monday 18th March 2024

It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of one of our longest serving members, Brian Darnton, on March 4th aged 88.  He had been in ill health since August.  He had been an active member of the Quekett Microscopical Club for many decades.  An obituary will appear in the Journal in due course.

Brian Darnton and friendsBrian Darnton and friends

Drop-In Microscopy – Poole

Saturday 16th March 2024

This will be a display set up by a few of the Club’s local members to support the Library’s contribution to British Science Week.

Drop-In Microscopy at Poole Library

It will be held in the Main Library, and is also in support of the Club’s Outreach activities.

Annual Reports and Accounts

Tuesday 27th February 2024

The Reports for 2023 are now available for download (Members only), and will be presented at the AGM on Tuesday March 5th.

Workshop on practical slide-making

Saturday 10th February 2024

Led by Chris Thomas, this workshop was held at the Natural History Museum to show that slides carrying objects of different thicknesses may be prepared with relatively simple equipment and reagents.  Objects included vitamin C, butterfly wings, sharks’ teeth, sand, and feathers.  Participants made their own preparations and photographed them under polarised and non-polarised light.

blue-link-icon-18 Read Alan Wood’s report

Christmas Lecture and Quiz

Saturday 9th December 2023

The annual extravaganza of microscopical knowledge brought to you in a humorous and light-hearted way to match the season.

blue-link-icon-18 Watch a video of the lecture (Members only)

blue-link-icon-18Christmas Quiz now on-line – try it for yourself (Members only)

October Quekett Bulletin

Wednesday 29th November 2023

Our latest edition of the Bulletin for Winter 2023 is on its way to members and should be received shortly. This will replace the copy sent to some members recently that was bound incorrectly.

M. C. Cooke Lecture “Sticklebacks under the microscope”

Tuesday, 14th November 2023, in the Neil Chalmers Seminar Room, Natural History Museum, London.

The Club welcomes Professor MacColl to its M. C. Cooke Lecture event.  Following a BSc in Ecological Science at the University of Edinburgh and a PhD at Aberdeen, Andrew MacColl has an active research career including time as a Royal Society Travelling Fellow at the University of British Columbia, Canada, in 2004. He came to Nottingham University as a NERC Postdoctoral Fellow in 2005 and is now Professor of Evolutionary Ecology. His research interests include the population ecology of vertebrates, the ecology of freshwater fish (especially the stickleback) and fish parasitology. He teaches a second year residential ‘Biodiversity Field Course’ in Dovedale each year.
blue-link-icon-18 Watch a video of this lecture (Members only)

John A. Millham

Friday 13th October 2023

It is with sadness that we have to announce the passing of one of our members John Millham of Didcot, Oxfordshire, in July of this year.  John’s was a regular face at our sales meetings and will much missed by the microscopy community.

New Editor for the QJM

Friday 13th October 2023

The Club is delighted to welcome Alex Cunningham as the new Editor of the Quekett Journal of Microscopy. He will bring years of microscopical expertise as well as boundless enthusiasm to his role.  Members can read more about Alex, and we hope he will be supported through the submission of many new articles for the Journal.

Ted Kellock Collection Project

The Ted Kellock Collection comprises about 4000 microscopical rock slides prepared by amateur geologist and naturalist Ted Kellock (1920-2009) which was gifted to the Orkney Natural History Society Museum (the Stromness Museum).  The collection is curated by Katy Firth, who is engaged on a project to digitise the collection and produce a catalogue suitable for circulation on the internet.  The project is part-funded by the Quekett as part of its Outreach commitment, and Chris Thomas spent part of the summer on Orkney advising on the microscopy and giving talks to local schools.

Quekett Journal of Microscopy posted

Thursday 5th October 2023

The latest edition of the Quekett Journal of Microscopy has been published and has been sent to members.
If UK members don’t receive their copy by the end of October, please contact the Membership Secretary.
For overseas members, please contact if the Journal hasn’t arrived by the 14th of November.
The Journal is marked as Volume 44 Part 5 Winter 2023, but it was supposed to say “Summer”, not “Winter”.
The last Journal published was Volume 44 Part 4 Winter 2022.

Journal Volume 44 Part 5 Winter 2023Volume 44 Part 5 Winter 2023

 

Nikon 2023 Small World in Motion Competition

Wednesday 27th September 2023

The results are now available, and Quekett member Wim van Egmond has received an Honorary Mention for two of his videos:

Lactobacillus paracasei by Win van EgmondBacteria colonies (Lactobacillus paracasei)

Stacked image, 10× objective (Click the image to watch the video)

Vorticella by Win van EgmondBell animalcules (Vorticella) seen through an original Leeuwenhoek microscope

Bright-field, magnification 266× (Click the image to watch the video)

Wimbledon Common Open Day

Sunday 10th September 2023

As part of the Club’s microscopy outreach programme, Quekett members participated in this free event on Wimbledon Common, based in the Information Centre (near the Windmill and the Rangers Office), using their microscopes to show specimens from the Common to children and adults.

blue-link-icon-18 Read a report of this event

Grove Park Carnival

Sunday 3rd September 2023 – 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

As part of the Club’s microscopy outreach programme, Quekett members will be participating in this free event in Chinbrook Meadows. We will be sharing a tent with Thames21 and using some simple microscopes to show specimens from the River Quaggy and other parts of the meadows to children and their parents.

blue-link-icon-18 Read a report of this event

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