A photomicrograph of the head of a Drosophila melanogaster.
A photomicrograph of the head of a Drosophila melanogaster.


The department of Biology & Environmental Science recently installed a state-of-the-art Hitachi TM-4000 plus II Scanning Electron Microscope for faculty and student research. Biology major Kyle Hiatt (class of ‘22), who is using the microscope to study symmetry in fruit flies, says, “The new microscope allows us to see the smallest details. By using a focused beam of high-energy electrons instead of light, it can reach magnifications of up to 100,000 times”. The pictured animal is probably more familiar than it looks – it is a close-up of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster).