Feb 27 2010
The College of Microscopy, in partnership with electron microscope equipment companies JEOL and EDAX, provided a free workshop on electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Experts in the fields of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EBSD sponsored the one-day event, providing information about the applications of these technologies for materials research and analysis. The College of Microscopy is the education division of The McCrone Group, Inc, a leader in materials analysis.
The workshop was led by Dr. Craig S. Schwandt, Senior Research Scientist at McCrone Associates; Tara Nylese, Applications Lab Manager at EDAX; and Donna Guarrera, Assistant Product Manager, Metrology and Inspection Division at JEOL. Together they guided attendees through the basics of using EBSD for collecting crystal structure and grain orientation information, sample preparation for EBSD and specific examples using EBSD for materials analysis.
“The purpose of our workshops is to reach out to those in our region who could benefit from new methods, instrumentation and services that are available, along with the training offered through the College of Microscopy,” said Schwandt. “We want to educate analysts by showing applications that might be similar to what they encounter in their normal routine.”
EBSD is a specialized form of SEM that can be used to study crystallographic orientation of many materials. SEM is first used to scan the material of interest to acquire crystal structure and organization information; software then creates a variety of maps from this information to convey the relationship of the grains to one another. The technique is particularly useful for geologists assessing rock fabrics and metallurgists analyzing the grain structure and orientation that relates to the strength properties of steel and other metals.
This one-day, free workshop was just one of the many programs offered by the College of Microscopy to assist area researchers in expanding their capabilities. Participants toured the College of Microscopy’s state-of-the-art facilities in Westmont, IL, used for training scientists, researchers, educators and crime lab personnel in current, advanced microscopy techniques.
Single day workshops like this not only introduce researchers to the College of Microscopy, but also provide an opportunity for those with full schedules to advance their careers. More workshops are being planned by the College of Microscopy to provide continuing education to researchers and analysts who currently use or would like to begin using microscopy techniques.
“One of the attendees, a former College of Microscopy student, mentioned how attendance at the workshop was useful for meeting the goals of his employee development plan—due to the tight economy he was not currently able to attend a another full course,” said Schwandt.