In THE

change the and make their own measurements, whereas the instructor Looking at or the lab manager carries out more sensitive operations such as debugging instrument errors. Two take turns sitting beside through the the instructor during the demonstration. Given these , the class enrolment is Suhas Eswarappa Prameela , Patricia M. McGuiggan, capped at between 10 and 12 students to ensure Amy Brusini, Trevor W. Glenn and Timothy P. Weihs their is maximized. In the advanced lab, Advanced in can be used to enhance the students look at of grass, fine grooves education of STEM students, as demonstrated by initiatives at Johns Hopkins on keys or , human skin cells and mouse that give students the opportunity to get hands-on​ experience with cells. Using a scanning microscope, sophisticated microscopes. students explore the microscale features of spiders, porous structures in butterfly Like many disciplines, STEM education at the teaching and of students through wings and layers of from a wall. Using university level has undergone tremendous specialized classes, university-sponsored​ a TEM (Fig. 1a), students observe viruses, change in the past few decades. Today’s STEM grants, government-sponsored​ nanocrystals and atoms in metallic . students have increased access to a range of and , and other externally The colourful contrasts from specialized courses, research for funded projects. Here, we highlight the and polarized light microscopy and the high undergraduates and competitions centred lessons learned from these initiatives in the level of magnification that can be achieved by on projects and . In the hope that faculty and administrators at other electron microscopes are often intriguing for classroom, STEM instructors are moving universities can create a similar infrastructure the students. exercises help away from traditional -based​ teaching to support grants, classes and programs students acquire core concepts behind the and are incorporating more active learning aimed at expanding education in the field techniques more effectively than standard strategies, such as inquiry-based,​ collaborative of microscopy. classroom instruction. For example, hands-on​ and case-based​ learning. Complementing this activities, such as structures -centred​ approach, STEM departments Integration of microscopy using ball-and-​ ​stick models or virtual are organizing lab tours, giving undergraduate At JHU, we offer several integrated tools, allow students to engage with the research assistant positions and allowing access and lecture courses, including short, one-​ in multiple ways. to research equipment typically reserved for (equivalent to ~40 hours per semester) classes In these classes, groups of two to three graduate students, postdocs and research to undergraduate students taught by PhD students also deepen their understanding of a . For example, microscopes can students and post-doctoral​ through microscopy technique by choosing a research play a critical role in opening up scientifically programs such as Hopkins from a preselected list and presenting compelling topics to students, as well as giving Applications & Research (HEART) the main findings to the rest of the class. The them valuable skills and hands-on​ experience. and Special Opportunities for Undergraduate students’ presentation topics range from Undergraduate students typically have Learning (SOUL). These classes expose studies of lithiation of silicon in batteries using access to simple light microscopes in their students to cutting-edge​ research operando TEM to imaging skin cells using practical sessions; these microscopes are on campus and draw students from many fluorescence microscopy. Such focused logistically easy and low cost and can be used scientific disciplines, as well as from the social activities help students appreciate the real-life​ by many students at once. More sophisticated and . Classes range from applications of microscopes, as well as how research microscopes, such as confocal or gene to learning. research keeps pushing the capabilities of fluorescence light microscopes and scanning Among such courses, Looking at atoms imaging methods. or transmission electron microscopes (TEMs), and viruses is a microscopy characterization One of the main lessons we have learned are more difficult to make available to class that focuses on teaching fundamentals from the HEART and SOUL classes concerns undergraduates. However, there is much to be of both light and electron microscopy. Every the selection of samples to study. In the first gained from leveraging these tools to enhance other class is spent in a laboratory probing iteration of these classes, we used only metallic the education of undergraduate students, different materials. Because students are not samples, but many students in the biological as they enable them to gain a competitive officially trained on the microscopes, they sciences expressed interest in learning edge to obtain internships, and research cannot independently operate the . how microscopy could be applied to other assistant positions in labs, and to enter graduate However, students have the opportunity materials. Since then, we have expanded the programs. At (JHU), to handle samples and to make their own. choice of samples by taking suggestions and several researchers and STEM educators Once a sample is ready, and the scope is tuned feedback from the students. are involved in programs to integrate to the correct settings, students operate the At the of , postgraduate advanced characterization methods into the position controls to navigate the sample space, students are offered characterization-oriented​

Nature Reviews | MaTerials volume 5 | December 2020 | 865 In the Classroom

a

b c

200 nm

500 nm 1 μm

Fig. 1 | Teaching with microscopes. a | A transmission (TEM) b | A TEM micrograph of bacteriophages from the Phage Hunters Project. c | A TEM of nanocrystals in a magnesium for the Materials in Extreme Dynamic Environments (MEDE) programme. Panel b courtesy of M. McCaffery and the Integrated Imaging Center, Johns Hopkins University. classes similar to HEART and SOUL but broken or replaced parts of the filament or Microscopy , in focused on techniques used in medicine apertures that go inside the microscope. with several universities, has developed and the biological sciences. Students learn By co-teaching​ small classes, they can provide an excellent open-source​ platform called how confocal, fluorescence and electron support in designing activities and give Myscope Microscopy training. Through this microscopy techniques are used to study exposure to the instruments and to their , anyone can access a wide variety of cells, evaluate disease processes and aid research activities in the short class periods. microscopy-related​ educational materials in diagnostic decision making. In virtual These undergraduate microscopy initiatives and operate virtual microscopes. microscopy classes, students examine have already started showing results at JHU. When developing and implementing using an online , which allows them Of the students who took these classes, a few specialized classes such as HEART or SOUL, to see a wide range of images of pathological have joined research groups where they plan soliciting feedback and making improvements processes and contributes to a better to use the microscopes and to gain more is crucial to designing more effective class understanding of how microscopy is used training. The students remarked that the materials and syllabi. The addition of in medicine. HEART or SOUL classes prepared them to the tutorials developed via the The use of microscopy in medicine is also apply to study in the research of fellowship grants is one example. taught at the undergraduate level. JHU, in professors on campus. In addition, some senior Initially, student averaged 3.8/5 for partnership with Howard Hughes Medical undergraduate students have started using both the overall quality of the and the Institute as part of the microscopes extensively before transitioning effectiveness of instructor teaching. Once Alliance, launched the Phage Hunters to Master’s or PhD programs. A few of them simulation tutorials, more lab visits and active Project (SEA-PHAGES​ program) a few years mentioned that they knew they would have learning exercises were incorporated, the ago. In this program, two dozen freshman limited ability to take characterization-oriented​ ratings improved to 4.6/5 for overall quality students dig up samples of soil and isolate classes during the first year of their new of the course and 4.3/5 for the effectiveness of a phage, a virus that infects a bacterium, programs, thus having taken the HEART or instructor teaching. and image it using a TEM (Fig. 1b). Through SOUL classes before starting helped them Lastly, we are training several under­ this opportunity, students gain hands-on​ to feel more prepared. graduate students in advanced microscope experience with microscopy and a greater University-sponsored​ grants are techniques as part of their undergraduate understanding of the struggles and successes important to improve courses. At JHU, research experience in laboratories and of sample preparation. the Center for Educational Resources for senior projects. For example, provides technology fellowship grants to the US Army sponsors two programs, the Resources to aid microscopy education support a faculty member partnering with Undergraduate Research One way to strengthen education in technology-savvy​ students to develop Program (URAP) and the Extreme Science microscopy is by collaborating with research resources that enhance and Internships (ESI), through which students faculty as well as professionals who manage active learning in classes. For example, for participate in an actual research project microscopy facilities. These experienced the HEART and SOUL classes, technology that has military applications. For example, professionals can provide pertinent fellowship grants were awarded to develop students participated in the Materials information regarding the technical aspects simulation tutorials for teaching microscopy in Extreme Dynamic Environments of how microscopes function, which can be both in class and in a virtual setting. Other (MEDE) programme, which focuses on challenging to convey in a general classroom universities are also building simulation developing materials for lightweight armour. setting. For example, lab managers can show tools for microscopy education. For example, The nanocrystals analyzed by the students

866 | December 2020 | volume 5 www.nature.com/natrevmats In the Classroom

serve to strengthen the metallic materials tools, engaging students using virtual active Suhas Eswarappa Prameela 1,2 ✉ , being developed (Fig. 1c). These programs learning exercises and giving simulation Patricia M. McGuiggan1, Amy Brusini3, Trevor W. Glenn4 1,2 bring undergraduate students closer to the tutorials to bolster online learning experiences. and Timothy P. Weihs 1Department of and Engineering, ongoing research on campus and result At JHU, the next step is to procure mixed Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. in students gaining internships or jobs in headsets through university-sponsored​ 2Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute, Johns Hopkins government or after . Digital Education & Learning Technology University, Baltimore, MD, USA. 3 Acceleration grants. We have procured Center for Educational Resources, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. Online teaching HoloLens to enable students to virtually enter 4Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Universities across the world are transitioning a microscope laboratory and operate the ✉e-:​ [email protected] to online or hybrid teaching owing to the microscope remotely by communicating with https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-020-00246-​z COVID-19 pandemic. Also, as fewer students an experienced user who physically controls Author contributions can be accommodated safely in teaching the scopes. New tools, nurturing programs S.E.P. wrote the majority of the manuscript and all authors laboratories, this results in less exposure to and focused grants can accelerate microscopy contributed to the review and editing of the manuscript. experimental techniques. These drawbacks education on campuses, benefitting many Competing interests may be mitigated by developing educational students and enhancing their future . The authors declare no competing interests.

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