GRAD 6233
Microscopy in Research
Interdisciplinary graduate training in advanced microscopy, microanalysis, sample preparation, and research-driven instrument selection at the OSU Microscopy Facility.
See More. Understand More. Discover More.
GRAD 6233 is a laboratory-intensive graduate course designed to help students understand how microscopy and microanalysis techniques can be used to answer real research questions. The course introduces students to major techniques available through the OSU Microscopy Facility and emphasizes practical, research-focused decision-making.
Learn by Doing
Move beyond theory through hands-on laboratory sessions at the OSU Microscopy Facility.
- Instrument demonstrations
- Sample preparation workflows
- Microscopy data collection
- Image interpretation and analysis
Explore Advanced Microscopy
Gain exposure to major analytical and imaging techniques used across modern research environments.
- Electron microscopy
- Confocal imaging
- Spectroscopy and microanalysis
- Surface and structural characterization
Connect Across Disciplines
Discover how microscopy supports research spanning biological, environmental, physical, and applied sciences.
- Biological sciences
- Materials and engineering
- Earth and environmental systems
- Chemistry and physics
Course Format
This course uses a flipped hybrid format. Students complete approximately two hours of asynchronous lecture content each week before attending a three-hour in-person laboratory session. In-person time is dedicated to applied work, discussion, facility-based demonstrations, data interpretation, and problem-solving.
Final Project
Students will develop a microscopy-based research proposal or applied analysis project. The final project will include a research question, instrument selection and justification, sample preparation strategy, data collection plan, and discussion of expected limitations.
Why Take This Course?
This course is intended for graduate students who want to use microscopy more effectively in their research, better understand shared instrumentation, or explore techniques outside their primary discipline. No prior microscopy experience is required.
GEOL 1003: The Story of Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs are the hook. Scientific thinking is the goal.
This course explores how scientists evaluate evidence, test ideas, and build arguments about dinosaur biology, behavior, evolution, and extinction. Students examine dinosaur research through readings, hands-on activities, experiments, and discussions designed to strengthen critical thinking and science literacy.
- Cowboy Concurrent
- 8-week summer course
- 16-week in-person course
Students will learn to:
- Evaluate scientific claims about dinosaurs
- Distinguish evidence from speculation
- Interpret fossil data and scientific figures
- Work collaboratively to test dinosaur-related hypotheses
- Communicate scientific ideas clearly
GEOL 3103: Paleontology
Learn to read the fossil record.
This undergraduate course introduces the basic principles of paleontology through the study of fossil invertebrates, vertebrates, plants, evolution, extinction, and ancient environments. Students develop fossil identification skills and use hands-on laboratory exercises to evaluate how paleontologists interpret the history of life on Earth.
- 3 credit hours
- 2 hours lecture
- 2 hours lab
- Hands-on fossil identification and interpretation
Students will learn to:
- Identify major fossil groups
- Explain how fossils preserve evidence of ancient life
- Interpret evolutionary patterns in the fossil record
- Evaluate paleontological evidence through lab activities
- Connect fossil data to broader Earth history
GEOL 5183: Paleontology and Paleoceanographic Reconstruction
Use fossils to reconstruct Earth’s past oceans and environments.
This graduate-level course examines how fossils are used in paleontologic, biostratigraphic, and paleoceanographic reconstructions. Students explore invertebrate paleontology, fossilization, taphonomy, sample preparation, fossil identification, and the use of fossil assemblages to interpret past environments and ocean conditions.
- 3 credit hours
- 2 hours lecture
- 2 hours lab
- Combined lecture and laboratory format
- Graduate standing or permission of instructor
Students will learn to:
- Explain fossilization and taphonomic processes
- Prepare and examine fossil-bearing samples
- Identify key fossil groups used in reconstruction
- Apply fossil evidence to paleoenvironmental interpretation
- Understand fossil applications in biostratigraphy and paleoceanography
GRAD 6233: Microscopy in Research
See more. Understand more. Discover more.
This graduate-level course provides interdisciplinary training in advanced microscopy techniques and their application in research. Students learn how to select instruments, prepare samples, collect and interpret microscopy data, and apply imaging and analytical methods across disciplinary boundaries.
- Tuesdays, 12:30–3:20 PM
- Hybrid format
- Asynchronous lectures plus in-person lab sessions
- Hosted at the OSU Microscopy Facility
- Open to graduate students across disciplines
Techniques may include:
- Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
- Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
- Confocal and fluorescence microscopy
- X-ray diffraction (XRD)
- Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)
- Surface analysis techniques
Questions?
Contact Dr. Ashley Burkett
ashley.burkett@okstate.edu