The M&M 2021 Submission Site is now open!

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Get ready for M&M 2021! Mark your calendar and Save the Date for the premier microscopy education and networking event of the year — Microscopy & Microanalysis 2021, August 1-5, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!

 

Go to the M&M 2021 website and click on the Submit Your Paper button, or go directly to the submission site:
The submission deadline is Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 11:59 PM, U.S. Eastern Time.

 

This year, presenters will have to option to indicate their presentation preference (Virtual or In-Person) during the submission process. Even if you know you cannot attend the in-person meeting, please still submit your paper! The submission site will not open again after the deadline.
Look for the M&M 2021 Call for Papers Brochure with the November/December issue of Microscopy Today. For more information on M&M 2021, visit the website at https://www.microscopy.org/MandM/2021/.

Upcoming: ASTM E42 Surface Analysis Community Forum on 11/06/2020

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ASTM committee E42 on surface analysis invites you to attend our community forum discussion on issues affecting credibility in XPS analysis and interpretation.  

 

ASTM E42 Surface Analysis Community Forum

Friday, November 6, 2020,

12:00 EST (18:00 Europe, 17:00 UK, 09:00 Pacific US)

Duration: 90 minutes

 ASTM WebEx Meeting Registration Link

https://astm.webex.com/astm/j.php?RGID=r9eef58a8e94646b8d9cb098bb0a671f5

Registration required to receive meeting login.

 

Data in the literature that is poorly acquired, analyzed, or presented can have far reaching effects on the credibility of any technique.  Ensuring that the community has the resources available to help the expanding user base will benefit us all

Join us for a virtual discussion of this surface analysis research community topic and help determine the best solution path that addresses these pressing issues.

Leading experts will lead discussion with participants, laying out the specifics of the problem, explaining how this has progressed and the resources currently available, and then looking forward to how we can improve the resources available and their distribution, with a goal of providing tools to improve research results.

 

The Problem, as it affects the research community

Matt Linford will describe a multi-institutional and multi-country analysis of XPS reported in three scientific journals which demonstrates significant problems in the analysis of XPS data appearing in the literature. He will describe a quantitative assessment of the problems and report information learned about the most common issues that have been observed.

 

The Structure of the current toolkit

Mark Engelhard will then provide a short summary of early issues in XPS analysis which motivated the creation of the standards committees ASTM E42 and ISO TC201, and will summarize the types of standards and guides that have been created, and explain some of the inter-relationships among relevant surface analysis standards in E42 and TC201.   Recent investigations questioning the adequacy of the reporting of analysis information specified in ISO and ASTM standards will be discussed, as an example of the limitations of the standards and guides in meeting the community data reporting challenges.

 

The Strategy Going Forward

Don Baer will relay the development of recent guides that are intended to help address the issues and explain what is still in the pipeline.  He will explore other tools that might be useful, including the possibility of an XPS reporting guide that could indicate prescribed reporting for levels of confidence and the work towards normalization of these.  One objective of this presentation is to seek community input on tools and/or other approaches on how to decrease the incorrect XPS data reports in the literature.  Such discussion can guide development of ASTM 42, ISO TC201, AVS Recommended Practices and other activities.

Together, we can build a framework to ensure that resource is available for the research community to help improve the quality of surface analysis result reporting!

MAS webinar: “TKD 101: An Introduction to Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction”

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Please join us for another MAS webinar! Chad Parish, Research and Development Staff Member in the Radiation Effects and Microstructural Analysis Group, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and long-time MAS member will talk about about the basics of Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction, analytical strategies and error sources and show a few examples of practical materials problem solving using TKD.

The live webinar will consist of a 50-minute presentation, followed by a Q&A. The webinar is free but requires a registration.

When: November 20, 2020 at 1 p.m. EDT.

Registration: https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__vfPG3FBQAOzcYuIVfso2g

Webinar description: Over the last two to three decades, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) emerged as one of the most powerful and exciting methods in electron microscopy to quantify the crystallographic microstructures of materials. Over the last decade or so, transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) has emerged as a vital and important complement to EBSD.

In TKD, a thin specimen (as might be used for transmission electron microscopy) is mounted into the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and held very near (<10 mm) the objective lens. Electron Kikuchi diffraction patterns are then acquired using the EBSD hardware, but in transmission mode and from the electron exit surface of the foil, as opposed to reflection mode from the entrance surface as in EBSD. This provides improved spatial resolution, often 10 nm or finer, compared to several hundred nm or coarser in conventional EBSD. This opens unprecedented capabilities for materials analysis.

This seminar will (1) briefly discuss the basics of TKD and put them into their historical perspective compared to EBSD; (2) discuss how to acquire TKD data, with emphasis on artifacts, errors, and things to watch out for; and (3) show a few examples of practical materials problem solving using TKD.

This work is supported by US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences, under contract number DE-AC05-00OR22725.

Keywords: SEM, TKD, EBSD

Webinar Speaker: Dr. Chad Parish is a Research and Development Staff Member in the Radiation Effects and Microstructural Analysis Group, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His research involves electron microscopy to solve problems in materials for nuclear energy systems. Chad has been an MAS member since 2004 and the Secretary of MAS since 2018.

MAS webinar: “Correcting the Scientific Record: RNA Mediation of Pd Metal-Metal Bonds”

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Please join us for another MAS webinar on September 22 2020 at 2 p.m. (EDT)! Leonard Donovan, Oak Ridge National Laboratory will talk about RNA Mediation of Pd Metal-Metal Bonds and his role in correcting the scientific record. The live webinar will consist of a 50-minute presentation, followed by a Q&A.

Read more

Solicitation of Nominations for MAS Fellow and New Nomination Deadline

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***New Deadline for MAS Fellows Nominations***

Dear MAS Members,

The Microanalysis Society is soliciting nominations for the 2021 Class of MAS Fellows. This 2021 Class should represent outstanding MAS members who have made sustained contributions to the field and the Society. Fellows serve as ambassadors of the Society to the community and the greater public. They should inspire younger individuals to reach for greater achievements. The Awards will be presented at M&M 2021.

Please consider any nominations you wish to make and submit a 2021 Fellow nomination package. The deadline for 2021 nominations is September 30, 2020. You may find directions for the nomination at https://the-mas.org/awards/mas-fellows/.

Our long-term target is that no more than 10% of MAS membership will be designated “Fellow” at any given time. With the first three Classes of Fellows, we achieved this goal. Hereafter, we expect to elect about 0.5% of the membership (about two) each year.

Thank you in advance in behalf of the Fellows Committee of MAS.

Tom Kelly

Chair, MAS Fellows Committee

The Virtual M&M 2020 Schedule Is Out Now!

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M&M 2020

The virtual M&M 2020 schedule is out now! https://www.microscopy.org/MandM/2020/MM2020_schedule.pdf

Have a look at the meeting website: https://www.microscopy.org/MandM/2020/

To register for the ‘Preparing for M&M’ webinar, presented by the Microscopy Society Student Council on July 16 at 4 p.m. (EDT), go to:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyjz5Ky2EvVvYJYVIDt5mR6kDJjuNXT68Yz3ohAObqcvjrqQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

MAS Webinar: Surface Microscopy and Microanalysis in an Industrial Research and Development Laboratory: General Electric – Research

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Please join us for our first MAS webinar on July 15, 2020 at 2 p.m. (EDT)! Vin Smentkowski will cover various techniques for Surface Microscopy and Microanalysis in the Industrial Research and Development Laboratory at GE. The live webinar will consist of a 50 minute presentation, followed by a Q&A.

Read more

Tutorials and webinars in the MSA Online Video Library

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If you are currently looking for online contents such as tutorials and webinars to pass time, give this a try:

The MSA Online Video Library provides you with free access to videos of M&M Tutorials and other MSA sessions for online viewing and downloading/archiving. The topics span a wide range from covering different analytical techniques or sample preparation to “How to Get Funding for Instrumentation When Budgets Are Tight”.

Lehigh Microscopy School cancels 2020 session

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BETHLEHEM, Pa., USA: In line with the exceptional measures taken by Lehigh University to mitigate the risk of exposure and spread of COVID-19, the 2020 Lehigh Microscopy School, originally scheduled for May 31-June 5, 2020, in Bethlehem, Pa., has been canceled.

The Lehigh Microscopy School, a weeklong series of courses that keeps engineers, scientists, and technicians abreast of developments in scanning electron microscopy, was set to mark its 50th anniversary.

“Although we are disappointed to cancel this year’s programming, without question, the safety of our lecturers, participants, and staff is our top priority,” says the school’s director, Chris Kiely, a professor of materials science and engineering in the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Registered participants will receive full registration refunds.

The next session of the Lehigh Microscopy School is scheduled for June 6-11, 2021. For more information and the latest updates, follow the Lehigh Microscopy School on LinkedIn.

The Royal Microscopical Society Awards Its Most Prestigious Honor to David B. Williams and C. Barry Carter!

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The Royal Microscopical Society has unanimously voted to award two of our MAS Fellows, David B. Williams and C. Barry Carter, Honorary Fellowships. Since 1840, only 272 have been awarded to scholars from a variety of scientific disciplines worldwide. The luminaries include eight Nobel Prize winners — Joachim Frank, Stefan Hell and Sir Howard Florey among them — as well as 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Millie Dresselhaus.

Lehigh Microscopy School 2020

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The Lehigh Microscopy School 2020 dates are available. Lehigh’s SEM courses were founded in 1970 by Joe Goldstein, honored by our Goldstein Scholarships, and the school offers now basic and advanced courses that combine theory with lab practice for a variety of microscopy techniques.
Lehigh Microscopy School
May 31-June 5, 2020
Bethlehem, PA
  • Introduction to SEM and EDS for the New Operator
  • Introduction to TEM
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Microanalysis
  • Focused Ion Beam (FIB): Instrumentation and Applications
  • Quantitative X-Ray Microanalysis: Problem Solving Using EDS and WDS Techniques
  • Transmission Electron Microscopy
For more information contact:
Nikki Rump
610-758-1112

2020 Microscopy Today Micrograph Awards Competition Deadline Approaching!

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Less than 30 days left to submit your entries for the 2020 Microscopy Today Micrograph Awards Competition! The competition, open to all types of microscopy, is divided into three categories: published, open, and video. The submission deadline is February 21, 2020.

Visit microscopy.org/MTMA for full details!

GSA Announces Partnership with Zeiss for Scholarship in Microscopy Research

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Boulder, Colo., USA: The Geological Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce a new research grant for 2020 in partnership with The ZEISS Group, a leading international technology company in the fields of optics and optoelectronics.

Together, GSA and ZEISS are offering GSA members an opportunity to apply for a new research grant of up to US$10,000, to be used for innovative microscopy in geoscience projects. ZEISS will also provide access to technology and expertise with the instrumentation.

Members of GSA who are master’s or Ph.D. students, post-doctoral researchers, or early career researchers (most recent degree completed within the last five years), at an institution in North America or Central America, are eligible to apply.

Women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and members of other groups underrepresented in the geosciences are strongly encouraged to submit proposals.

Applications are being taken online now through 3 February 2020, and the winner will be notified in April. Learn more and apply.

Microscopy image from Zeiss.

# # #

The Geological Society of America, founded in 1888, is a scientific society with members from academia, government, and industry in more than 100 countries. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, GSA enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, USA, GSA encourages cooperative research among earth, life, planetary, and social scientists, fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues, and supports all levels of earth science education.

 

Remembering Tom Huber, former MAS president

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Tom HuberThomas G. Huber, the former MAS president, the MAS Fellow, the first CEO of JEOL USA and our friend passed away on Thanksgiving weekend after enjoying Thanksgiving with all his family. Tom was instrumental in creating an applications and service support network as well as field sales staff as part of forming JEOL, which becomes what is today JEOL USA, Inc. Tom also founded the JEOL Institute with the explicit task of hiring skilled applications staff in both TEM and SEM to properly and completely train the customers on not only what button to push or knob to twist but about the fundamental science behind the techniques.

Tom’s citation for the MAS Fellow is as following:

For outstanding leadership and sustained contributions to the development of commercial electron microscopes, development of MAS sustaining membership and financial support of the society.

Tom has been a strong bridge not only to connect academia and manufacturers but also to connect users and developers. We truly miss Tom.

Visitation will be held at the Eustis & Cornell Funeral Home (142 Elm Street, Marblehead, MA) on Friday, December 20, 2019 between 4:00 to 7:00.

The Microanalysis Community Loses Some Magic

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MIT’s first microprobe built by R. Ogilvie’s students (left-to-right ?, Flanagan, Ogilvie, Nixon, ?, Colby, ?, Ziebold)

John Colby passed away in March. I first met John in 1969 when I was at RPI in graduate school working with our MAC probe. I had heard about MAGIC, a computer ZAF correction program coming out of Bell Laboratories, then in Allentown PA, and contacted John, its author, to ask for a copy on punch cards to run on our IBM 360. He readily complied, and that was a start of what turned out to be a long friendship and occasional business relationship. John was lured away from Bell Labs by Kevex Corporation a few years later, and soon John and his MAGIC put Kevex firmly on the map, most notably in Japan, where he became very appreciative of the Japanese culture and collected many Japanese artifacts. John and I had the opportunity to work together for a brief time at PGT (now Bruker) and then later with his new EDS quant program called FLAME, based loosely on Fuzzy Logic and incorporated by Scott Davilla as part of the 4Pi EDS package. Later John developed SLICE, a very clever EDS database search and match program done with FBI funding under the auspices and in close cooperation with Dennis Ward, a chemist and SEM expert working in Quantico.

John and I had some very good times together, and I would often meet up with him when he and his wife Susan, who survives him, lived in Foster City (CA). At that time, I had started Peak Instruments and was visiting Silicon Valley frequently, seeking and supporting customers using the Peak Spectrometer for the analysis of borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), a dielectric layer used in chip technology. John and I would often finish our dinner with a nice cigar. I remember one instance, when we were enjoying a cigar together on a bench in Palo Alto, during which we learned from two policemen in a cruiser, lights flashing, that smoking anywhere in Palo Alto was against the law. Fortunately, they let us off with just a warning.

John was a prolific software creator and an accomplished algorithm developer. John was one of the founders of the Microanalysis society and one of the contributing authors on the first “Goldstein book”, which has become a bible for electron beam microanalysis. Later, he became somewhat of a maverick in the scientific microanalysis community, seldom publishing and letting slide his associations with other elite developers in the field. Possibly because of this, John may not be well known among the current MAS and EMSA memberships. Just last year, however, John was recognized for his contributions to electron beam microanalysis by being made a fellow of MAS.

I am sure I can speak for Scott and Dennis when I say that I will miss J.W. Colby, the stubborn man with the very creative mind, and know that the Microanalysis community has truly lost some magic.

Nick Barbi
nicholasbarbi@gmail.com