There was a great deal of background learning to be done to understand the scientific techniques we would be using...

and then learning to analyse the data...

and lots of fuel for both the body and the mind.

Students measuring the growth of canola seedlings: control vs UV exposed.

Each plant was meticulously measured and recorded...

then turned into samples.

Many, many digital images were taken of slide after slide after slide...

Under the microscope, the stomata (large object in the centre of the frame) in the control plants remained closed.

While the stomata in the exposed plants tended to remain open.

Sample prep for the MidIR beamline was not trivial as we needed a single layer of cells. Vanilla plants worked the best.

Students are using the beamline microscope looking for the precise spot on the slide they identified for analysis on the optical microscope.

Analysing data was a significant accomplishment. Infrared spectroscopy produces a complex spectra of lines each of which have to be normalized individually.

The 'big book of spectra' was certainly put to good use to determine which molecules were absorbing the IR light.

Dr. Luca Quarioni reviews the spectral map produced by the students that clearly identifies the concentration of cellulose in the cell wall.

Specifics about the beamline had to be absorbed before the students could take the controls.

Teamwork is particularly important as 6 heads are definitely better than 1!

Students are using the optical microscope to ensure their sample is located accurately for transfer to the SM beamline sample stage.

After collecting 2 days of spectacular data and a mere day of focussed analysis, students were able to draw conclusions and present them to CLS staff.

Each group (optical microscope, spectromicroscopy, and midir) presented their data and finding.