Stereomicroscope donated to National School of Forestry (ESNACIFOR) in Honduras

June 15 2010

The stereomicroscope, a gift from the Department of Botany and the Botanical Society of Trinity College, has safely reached its destination: the herbarium of the National School of Forestry (ESNACIFOR) in Siguatepeque, Honduras, Central America.

ESNACIFOR is a substantial organization, but the herbarium is small and under-funded: on a visit in 2008, Daniel Kelly and colleagues were trying to identify tropical Compositae and other challenging plant groups with handlens alone. The 'seed money' for this purchase was the Bot Soc's Table Quiz. Thanks go to all who contributed to the cost and who helped with the ordering. Special thanks are also due to Paul O'Callaghan, PhD student in the Dept of Biology & Environmental Science in UCD, who valiantly transported the microscope in his luggage from Dublin to Honduras.