New interactive microscopy exhibition set for Micro Day in Leiden

A new immersive exhibition is set to be launched in Leiden this October. The microscopy and microbe exhibition, organised by the MARBLES project, Institute of Biology (Leiden University) and Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, will be held in the museum to celebrate Micro Day in Leiden, the EU City of Science 2022. The exhibition will allow children, their parents and guardians to learn more about the microbial world and how scientists are trying to learn from them for human, animal and plant health through a number of fun daily activities, including:

• The world up close - compare a van Leeuwenhoek microscope with our modern-day microscopes to see and learn about the microscopic world!
• Test your knowledge with a microscopy quiz! For children from 7 years old.
• See real marine microbes with a real microscope and learn why they are so important.
• How well do you clean your hands? Grow bacteria from your hands on agar plates that you can take home and see the differences in the bacteria that grow before and after washing your hands!

Exhibition organiser the MARBLES project is a €7.5 million, 5-year project that will develop new methods for the sustainable collection and use of biological resources from marine environments and assess their commercial potential. The researchers are studying marine microbes and the compounds they produce to assess their potential to replace environmentally harmful chemicals and medicines to help fight diseases in fish, food crops and humans. For more information about the project, please visit marblesproject.eu. The microscopy exhibition will be held in Rijksmuseum Boerhaave in Leiden, the Netherlands from 22-24 October 2022. The event is free with a valid museum ticket which can be booked at tickets.rijksmuseumboerhaave.nl. To celebrate Micro Day, museum entry is also free on 24 October. The event is suitable for children of 4 years and older.