Dr. Heidi Bivins can barely contain her delight as she peers through the ocular lens of the sleek new microscope perching on a tall student lab desk. “Students are going to LOVE these,” she exclaims as she explains that even unstained bacteria can be easily visualized with the new lighting system and the high quality optics that Leica microscopes are known for.

The Leica brand is well known world-wide as a leader in optics and imaging excellence for well over 100 years. This month, the Microbiology Lab at Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) –Thomasville was outfitted with 18 of the state of the art microscopes that have so impressed Dr. Bivins, the Natural Sciences Program Chair.

The ever-growing medical field is continually seeking highly trained medical professionals. In response, SRTC’s burgeoning School of Health Sciences is constantly seeking ways to enhance and expand the classroom experience for students. Dr. Bivins remarked that “access to top-of-the-line microscopes provides our students with the lab experience they will need to pursue rewarding careers in lab technology or further educational advancement into fields like microbiology or epidemiology. Our students will be given the opportunity to work with the caliber of tools required, whether they aim for jobs in our local hospitals or the CDC in Atlanta.”

The Leica DM500 microscopes were specifically developed to revitalize science teaching and to achieve the goal of more hands-on time for science courses. With student-friendly features and high-quality construction, the Leica DM500 was designed to train the next generation of medical professionals effectively and efficiently.

Thirty miles north, students at SRTC – Moultrie are also getting acquainted with their classroom full of new microscopes. With the help of Associated Microscope Inc, Dr. Bivins selected the ACCU-SCOPE® 3000-LED Microscope, which delivers the outstanding optical performance and resolution required to meet the exacting standards of life science professionals and students. With an Infinity Plan optical system, a best-in-class 20mm field of view and a super-bright 3-watt LED illuminator, the 3000-LED Series delivers high contrast images with exceptional resolution, precision design and enhanced illumination.

“The 3000-LED is one of our top-selling microscopes and a fan favorite of universities, teaching and veterinary laboratories throughout the western hemisphere,” said Brian Taub, Executive Vice President of ACCU-SCOPE Inc.

“Few people realize the effort we put into inspecting and testing every scope before we ship them to the customer. It’s a great story that researchers, educators, engineers, technicians and clinicians need to hear,” added Accu-Scope’s Director of Marketing, Mark Clymer. Additionally, the North Carolina based Associated Microscope Inc delivered and installed the new scopes in each location to ensure that every microscope would be optimally calibrated and ready for students to simply switch on and begin learning.

Dr. Bivins believes that students will find the new microscopes more enjoyable and more useful since they will be better able to visualize the microscopic structures needed for their studies. She added that high quality microscopes on both campuses will allow years of student use and provide a cost-saving to the college over the lifetime of the microscopes.