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.