English: These young Lao students had never seen a microscope before. They got their first chance at a "Discovery Day" organized by Big Brother Mouse, a literacy project in Laos. Later that day they conducted electronic experiments, played a number game, and examined minerals and fossils.
In this photo, they are looking at bacteria that had been cultured from a variety of sources. The digital screen provides a crisp image and allows several students to use it together. On other occasions, the microscope is used to watch brine shrimp larva, to look at prepared slides, and to examine plant and insect specimens that the students themselves collect.