Sometimes it’s not just the big things that inspire awe, it’s the little things too. The really small, microscopic things. When we educate students about fish, notably sharks and rays, we tend to talk about the whole animals, their diet, behavior, form and function. And yet to demonstrate the phenomenal diversity of each species, we are turning to microscopes to reveal a new world that generally remains out of sight and mind for most.

We recently began to use microscopes to expand our education program and relate the fine structure of skin, muscle, teeth, and more to how sharks and rays have evolved, how they eat, move and combat predation, all of which has inspired students learn about the biology and building elements of each species. Our original kids’ style microscopes made such a huge impression on students and adults at the Belize Punta Gorda outreach event that we were convinced to expand the program further. We happened to be looking for funding to purchase more units and integrate them into all of our country based educational programs when the Houston Zoo stepped in and coincidentally said “Wait, we have just what you need! Would you like some microscopes?”

Our wonderful donation of eight high quality microscopes to MarAlliance is now enabling us to expand our educational programs in Belize, Honduras, Panama and Cabo Verde. We can’t wait to amaze and inspire more generations with science and beauty of the minute.