Overview

A full-immersion weekend designed to take beginners and intermediate users from “I’m not sure how to start” to confidently preparing slides, using oil immersion, and capturing publication-quality micrographs.

This hands-on workshop is for mushroom enthusiasts with little or no microscope experience, as well as those who want to build confidence and skill. The goal is to remove the intimidation factor from microscopy by teaching practical skills for preparing slides, staining tissues, handling oil immersion, making accurate micro-measurements, and digital imaging. As the weekend progresses, we also move beyond the basics into advanced contrast-enhancement techniques, such as Kohler, darkfield, oblique, Rheinberg, and related methods, to help participants produce striking and informative images that reveal more than standard brightfield microscopy alone.

By the end, attendees leave with the confidence to continue exploring fungal microanatomy on their own, using clear and reproducible methods that support both personal learning and community science.

Microscopes are provided!

Participants without their own microscopes will have access to quality, fully serviced instruments throughout the workshop. These microscopes will also be available for purchase at the end of the event at very reasonable prices, ideal for anyone who wants to continue practicing microscopy at home.