The Citizen Science projects are a good example, these involve members of the general public working on their own or assisting professional scientists or scientific institutions in their work, for example by reporting where they have seen particular species of birds or butterflies or flowers. Microscopists can use their expertise in identifying organisms such as Cladocera (water-fleas) and mosses to contribute to recording schemes that are co-ordinated by the Biological Records Centre or iRecord. The founding members of the Group have recently made valuable contributions to the Spotted Wing Drosphila (fruit flies) Survey Project, helping professionals understand the spread of this important agricultural pest that can only be identified using a microscope. The photograph on the right of a female SWD was taken by Gordon Brown.

Collecting antique microscopes and slides is another dimension of amateur microscopy that attracts collectors and historians. The microscope was first invented nearly 400 years ago; many variants have been produced over that time. The heyday of microscope development was in the Victorian era, when superbly engineered brass microscopes were produced for demanding (and often wealthy) Victorian gentlemen. At the same time, an industry developed making microscope slides of a huge diversity of subjects, of a quality that has not since been surpassed. These microscopes, their accessories and the mounted microscope slides now make a fascinating field for the collector and user alike.