Mazurek Optical Services is pleased to announce the first awarding of an annual prize given to the most promising first year student demonstrating outstanding work in microscopy while studying at new the Central Teaching Laboratory of the University of Liverpool

Continuing their support of the development of young microscopists, Mazurek Optical Services (MOS) have endowed a prize to be presented annually to the most promising first year student who demonstrates outstanding work in light microscopy at the University of Liverpool's newly opened Central Teaching Laboratories.

The first to receive the award presented by MOS' Managing Director, Stephen Mazurek, is Rebecca Behan, a student from the School of Environmental Sciences in the renowned centre for Geology and Geophysics. The ability to observe and record geological features seen using optical microscopes is incredibly important and Rebecca has demonstrated this skill excellently in four different modules in her first year. With an ambition to become a petroleum or hydro-geologist, Rebecca is well on her way with this excellent work.

The new Central Teaching Laboratories will be officially opened on 22nd October this year. However, with term started, practical sessions are already well underway. The Environmental Sciences teaching laboratory has 170 individual work stations, each backed with video and online computing capabilities, students will learn microscopy from first principles using one of 365 microscopes from Meiji Techno equipped with cameras from Lumenera making this the most advanced and largest light microscopy teaching facility in the UK.

Mazurek and his team have now completed an intense installation and training program. It was this dedication to providing service to users that played an important part in the purchase decision of the university. MOS have now been serving microscopists across the UK for more than ten years and have established themselves as one of the leading sales and service outlets for microscopists in academia and industrial laboratories. As Dr Alan Boyle who oversaw the tendering process remarked, "Mazurek Optical Services met all specifications of our comprehensive tender documents. However, it was their overall experience working with teaching laboratories around the country backed by Meiji's limited lifetime warranty and Mazurek's maintenance programme that won the day. With the installations now complete, I can say that I am very happy with our choice to purchase the excellent Meiji microscopes from Steve and his team."

MOS were supported throughout the process by Richard Fry and his engineers from Meiji Techno UK. As Richard has said on many occasions, "it is a pleasure to work with Mazurek. They have a growing team of experienced microscopists and engineers who are very responsive, always on the end of the phone and pay particular attention to training materials and the requirements of their customers."

To learn more about Mazurek Optical Services' products and services in light microscopy, visit their web site at www.mazurekopticalservices.co.uk.

Details of the full range of microscopes and supplies from Meiji Techno may be seen at www.meijitechno.co.uk.