Review of M&M 98 in Atlanta
AWARDS NOMINATIONS NEEDED!
MSA PRESIDENT TO SPEAK AT FALL MEETING
MSA ELECTIONS
Photo Page
The Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA was the site of the 1998 M&M Conference, July 12-16. Sunday night's Opening Reception was at Sci-Trek, Atlanta's Science and Technology Museum. Attendees and their families enjoyed an excellant Southern buffet and then spent time viewing (and playing with) the various exhibits. It was a relaxing way to begin the week.
Among Monday's sessions was one entitled "Developments in Measuring Polymer Microstructures". MSNO President-elect Mike Mallamaci presented "Scanned Probe Microscopy of Elastomer Blends: Morphology and Mechanical Properties" in which he compared two synthetic rubber blends for phase miscibility using SPM's tapping mode. Ray Egerton's talk showed that one can use STEM mode for EELS analysis and reduce specimen radiation damage in polymers when compared to conventional TEM mode. Matt Liberia's group agreed with these results although they disagreed on the mechanism for the increase in characteristic dose with dose-rate. Adam Hitchcock discussed the field of scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM), which has experienced recent advances allowing 50nm image resolution with full X-ray spectral capabilities. STXM has the advantage of inducing less radiation damage in polymers than does the STEM. David Calvert used the "Hayashi-Nishi Method for Measurement of Mixing" to assign specific numbers to the dispersion and distribution of additives in a polymer matrix, in order to characterize the mixing phenomenon via image analysis. This well-attended session attests to the interest in polymer-related symposia, with the hope that it will continue to be addressed at future M&M meetings.
In other materials sessions, papers addressing the use of AFM, cryo-SEM and TEM, and variable pressure SEM have provided important information on newer biomaterials which employ polymer gels. Previously, these materials have provided a challenge to the classical microscopist because in that many are hydrated. The symposium on "30 Years of EDS" was a must for any materials scientist. It gave a wonderful retrospective of the technique over the years and also hinted of the exciting new directions that are just ahead.
At Monday afternoon's Presidential Happenings, awards were given to MSA's elite. The Distinguished Scientist Award, Physical Science went to Michael Whelan; Biological Science went to Avril Somlyo. The Burton Medal was presented to Ian Anderson. Nestor Zaluzec received the Morton D. Maser Distinguished Service Award. The Outstanding Technologist, Biological, was Hilton Mollenhauer; Physical was Charles Echer. Professional Technical Staff Awards were given to Elizabeth Fischer, Rachel Horowitz, and Victoria Madden.
Michael Isaacson, MSA Past President, addressed the past, present and future of microscopy. He saw an increased use of video and electronic microscopy, wider acceptance of high-brightness sources such as field emission, and a greater need for scanned tip microscopes. All these things can be possible with more bright young people going into microscopy and more public funding.
Among Tuesday's sessions was one on digital imaging and its applications, chaired by Klaus Peters. John Hunt discussed the importance of dynamic range in digital photography, which is the number of values between highest and lowest. Changing gamma curves can counter problems with dynamic range. Bruce Newell, who spoke to MSNO in May, talked about understanding color image processing, esp. when making the transition from film to monitors. By using a color standard you can correct the color balance between the two media.
The Technologists' Forum Special Topics, chaired by MSNO's Newsletter Editor and TF Vice Chair Jeanette Killius, featured the Outstanding Technologists Hilton Mollenhauer and Charles Echer. Dr. Mollenhauer's presentation covered fixing and embedding "difficult" samples, such as yeasts and root tips. He had many ideas of how to overcome slow resin penetration, weak staining, and contamination of grids. Chuck Echer discussed the importance of optimizing procedures and calibrations in materials analytical EM. While it may be tedious, it is necessary to calibrate all equipment to obtain accurate microanalysis. This attention to detail enabled him to identify a tiny nanocrystal in a meteorite as diamond using micro-microdiffraction.
Also on the docket for Tuesday afternoon was a repeat of the popular "Ask the Experts" which featured an open question and answer session after the presentations. Ron Anderson chaired the physical science topics and discussed specimen preparation. Also speaking were Don Black, "Digital Imaging in the New Age", and Alwyn Eades, "Electron Diffraction". Jos? Mascorro chaired the biological side, which covered the practical applications for microwave technology. Richard Gieberson, Victoria Madden, Ross Gerrity, and Paul Webster gave talks on different aspects of this important biological tool, from clinical uses to immunolabeling.
The second Presidential Happenings chaired by MAS President Ryna Marinenko featured the MAS awards to its outstanding members. Presidential Science Award went to Frederick Schamber. MAS Presidential Service Award was given to Jon McCarthy. Vinayak Dravid received the K.F.J. Heinrich Award. MSNO Past- President Meredith Bond presented the Distinguished Scholar awards. Eric Doehne's talk, intriguingly entitled "Romancing the Stone", gave a microanalyst's view of geology.
The Technologists' Forum symposium on "Instrumentation: Choose it and Use It" was a discussion of what to look for when selecting different instruments. The morning session was co-chaired by Beverly Maleeff and MSNO Secretary Val Woodward. Phil Russell described the unique aspects of scanned probe microscopes (no focus, no lens, no magnification) and what you must look for to pick the best one for your needs (mode, tip, feedback signal). The most important concepts to consider are the resonant frequency of the cantilever and the force constant of the tip. There are so many considerations to weigh when choosing an SEM according to Bill Lamberti, such as the needs of the lab, the type of sample, the instrument reliability, and service quality. In addition, selecting appropriate auxilliary equipment, such as EDS, image processing, and computer platforms must be part of the plan. Once evaluation of an ultramicrotome has been completed, John Bozzola brought out alternatives to purchase, such as: outsourcing the work, leasing the instrument if the project is short-term, and looking into donated equipment from colleagues, government, and companies. Judy Drazba of the Cleveland Clinic, went through the theory of confocal microscopy along with emphasizing the points to consider when buying one. Budget, space, samples to be imaged, and need for a UV all come into play. The Tech Forum instrumentation symposium concluded with Judy Murphy outlining a step-by-step procedure for designing an EM Facility. Building on some of the same factors from previous talks (budget, space, etc.), she added specifics for fields, ventilation, plumbing, power requirements, and safety concerns.
Thursday morning featured the Tech Forum Roundtable Discussion "Photoshop 101", chaired by Sandy Silvers. This powerful image processing tool is finding increased importance in the microscopy community as more digital images are being obtained and more journals are accepting the digital format. Jack Kinnamon systematically went through the software capabilities, from enhancing contrast in high resolution scanned images to creating a labeled photo layout and finally printing the result on a quality printer. Hours in the darkroom can be saved with this program. Ethics considerations (as well as journals and granting agencies) must be taken into account when "cleaning up" debris from prints and using filters that alter images. Electronically archiving photos with this medium will show a tremendous savings of storage space.
M&M98 closed Thursday afternoon with a total attendance of 1314 (??) and another successful meeting was wrapped up. Plans are already underway for next year's conference in Portland, Oregon, Aug. 1-5, 1999. In addition to the program, many interesting side attractions will be available, including an Alaskan cruise the week after the conference. Book your reservations early at info@finevoyages.com. The warm summer evening beckoned and a number of MSNO members concluded their visit to Atlanta by attending a Braves vs. Brewers baseball game at Turner Field. (P.S. Atlanta won.)
MSA needs your help! They want to recognize outstanding members in various
areas at next year's meeting. Nominations are now being accepted for the
following awards:
1) Distinguished Scientist, biological and physical - recognize preeminent
senior scientists who have a long-standing record of achievement during
their career.
2) Burton Medal - honors the distinguished contributions to the field
of microscopy and microanalysis of a scientist who is less than 40 years
of age on Jan. 1st of the award year.
3) Outstanding Technologist Awards - honors technologists from both
biological and physical science who have made significant contributions
such as the development of new techniques to assist the advancement of
microscopy and microanalysis.
4) Morton D. Maser Distinguished Service Award - recognizes outstanding
volunteer service to the Society over a period of years, as exemplified
by Mort Maser.
Nominations should include:
Deadline for nominations is December 31, 1998. Please contact Gracie Burke at mgburke@pitt.edu or the MSA Business Office for more information.
In order to stimulate attendance at the annual meeting for technical
people who might ordinarily not participate, the Professional Technical
Staff Awards were created. Awardees are selected based on the quality of
the paper submitted for presentation at the M&M meeting. The applicant
must be first author and a full paid-up member of MSA at the time of application.
MSA will reimburse awardees up to $600 for travel, lodging and other expenses.
Applications consist of:
Please help MSA recognize worthy scientists and professional staff. Nominate an outstanding scientist! Encourage a staff person to submit an abstract! Do it today!
Calling MSNO opens its 1998-99 program with a Fall meeting at the Cleveland Clinic on Wednesday, Nov. 4th. Ralph Albrecht, MSA President, will be the featured speaker. He will discuss "The Use of Correlative Microscopy in Biological Problem Solving". His talk will cover the use multiple imaging technologies to visualize the structure and function of cells. Recent advances in high resolution video cameras, computer image processing and reconstruction capabilities, confocal and 2- and 3-photon light microscopy make correlative techniques possible. This allows the investigator to extract both structural and physiological informations from cells and tissues, even whole organisms.
Dr. Albrecht's talk will be at 4 PM in the Founder's Room of the Crile Building at the Cleveland Clinic. A reception will follow from 5-5:30 PM. Dinner (choice of chicken or vegetarian) is $20 and will begin at 5:30 PM. Reservations may be made by calling Val Woodward at
MSA just announced the candidates for the upcoming election of officers. President-elect candidates are Kenneth Dowling and Doug Dorset. For Treasurer, the candidates are Gracie Burke and Kathi Alexander. The choice for Director of Physical Sciences is between Mike Kersker and Jon McCarthy. MSNO's own Bill Gunning and John Bozzola are running for Director of Biological Sciences.
The MSA Call for Papers for M&M99, the ballot for elections and the 1999 dues request will be mailed in early November. While the dues are not due until December 31st, the ballot for elections must be postmarked by December 15. Please remember to pay your dues and cast your vote by then.
If you are not an MSA member, please consider joining. MSA provides a forum for the exchange of ideas dealing with all aspects of microscopy. In addition to the platform and poster sessions at the annual meeting, many workshops and tutorials are offered at a low cost (or free), giving attendees the chance to learn from experts in the field. This conference features one of the largest showcases of microscopy-related equipment for the investigator to inspect. The society's journal Microscopy and Microanalysis reviews and publishes articles of interest to microscopists and is free to members. In addition MSA provides discounts on the following journals: Journal of Microscopy, Materials Characterization, Ultramicroscopy, and Journal of Electron Microscopy. MSA maintains a placement office for employers and potential employees. The Technologists' Forum is a special committee within MSA that serves the needs of technical staff with a semi-annual newsletter, microscopy facilities directory, special presentations at the annual conference, and Professional Technical Staff Awards. MSA provides funding that makes it possible for local societies to bring top speakers to their meetings. It promotes student research with their Undergraduate Scholarships and Presidential Scholar awards.
These are among the many benefits of being an MSA member. If you would like a membership form mailed to you, call the MSA Business Office at 800-538-3672, or email them at BusinessOffice@msa.microscopy.com.