2023 | Lenka Lemberková
Nature under the magnifying glass
This project came about thanks to a coincidence. Several years ago, the Jihlava Gymnasium purchased an Olympus BX53 microscope. At that time, as part of the Quarry Season competition, Českomoravský stěrk a. s., a gravel company, granted students access to Kosov quarry near Jihlava, which had been closed to the public for seventeen years. After mining work was finished there, two small lakes appeared as the quarries flooded: a deeper one and a shallower one, from which it was better to collect samples. Thus, in 2016 Jihlava Gymnasium and the OZS Jihlava school began cooperating to monitor the regeneration of nature after human intervention. One of the outcomes of this project was an exhibition of microphotographs titled “The Beauty of Perfection Hidden in the Details,” which made a strong impression on me. Today, we use the previously mentioned microscope in lessons (for example, to conduct biology and chemistry research). Thanks to our teacher, Ms. Fasorová, who was involved in the project, we had the opportunity to watch short videos monitoring the seasons in the quarry. I felt bad that these interesting records were “lying idle” and thought about ways they could be further used.