With the cooperation of the Hitachinaka Board of Education, the Naka Site has been holding outreach classes utilizing a tabletop electron microscope for elementary schools in the city since 2018.
Efforts to coexist with COVID-19s began in earnest in 2022, and we received many requests from schools for outreach classes. We were able to hold them for 978 children in 31 classes at nine schools in Hitachinaka.
We received many appreciative comments from the schools telling us how restrictions have been imposed on many school events due to the impact of the pandemic, and the pupils have suffered accordingly. “Given those circumstances, taking a class where they can directly observe an electron microscope, a device people don’t usually come into contact with, will be an amazing memory for the children."
During the classes, the children observed a stamen, pistil and pollen from a morning glory, marigold pollen, an ant and a butterfly wing. They could not help reacting with loud cries of astonishment, and listened intently to the explanations. When we removed the samples they had seen through the electron microscope from the device and showed them to the children, they were surprised by the difference between the world they can see and the world of the electron microscope, and their faces bore an expression of wonder.
As far as possible, we will continue to visit schools to provide science outreach classes, one of the Naka Site’s social contribution activities.

The children listen intently

TThere were cries of wonder when they saw the electron microscope image of a mosquito