Vision Engineering Ltd.’s Mantis stereomicroscope was a central part of a recent public exhibit on the pests and diseases found in home gardens. The exhibition — BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2010 — was organized by the UK’s largest public funder of food and agriculture research. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) utilized the ergonomic Mantis microscopes to help visitors engage with the pests and diseases on display and to assist their scientists in explaining the science behind pests, diseases and how to prevent them. Visitors to Gardeners’ World Live were invited to bring samples of afflicted plants to the BBSRC stand to get advice from scientists selected from world-leading BBSRC institutes and university departments. These were investigated using the “eyepieceless” viewing head of the microscope. BBSRC Public Engagement Officer Rebecca Hurwitz said, “The aim of BBSRC’s exhibit at Gardeners’ World Live was to help visitors to engage with the science behind plant pests and diseases. The UK’s world-class plant science is being deployed to meet the challenge of providing food security for the global population, but for a few days some these scientists were on hand at the NEC to talk to gardeners about how the same principles apply to back (yard) gardens. The Mantis microscope helped us to bring these points to life.” BBSRC invests around £470M ($722M) per year in research and training in the life sciences. The council’s work makes a significant contribution to quality of life in the UK and beyond and underpins a number of important sectors, including agriculture, food, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. For more information, visit: www.visioneng.com