Spring
2001 Newsletter
by
Kathleen J. Doane, Ph.D. and Valerie Woodward
The MSNO winter meeting was held on March 14, 2001, at Summa Health System - Akron City Hospital, in the Professional Center South building. The wine and cheese reception, generously sponsored by Ruth Murray (Midwest Regional Sales, Oxford Instruments), was a resounding success. Fruit, cheese, and broccoli-cheese bites were complimented by wines such as "Menage a Trois". Pens and periodic tables, as well as literature, were given out by Ms. Murray and were greatly appreciated.
After the reception, Ronald W. Smith, who retired from B.F. Goodrich in 1994, presented a very entertaining discussion on "Product Post Mortem Analysis". Ron illustrated his talk with a number of tire examples that he collected from roadsides in the desert Southwest. Some of the phenomena that he had to keep in mind in dealing with the region included: cactus spine punctures, gunshots (apparently, shooting broken down cars and other machines in isolated desert settings is common), and extreme dry heat degradation. He has an extensive collection of tire fragments and failure types, and has catalogued them beautifully using 35 mm color photography, and in some cases, only a stereomicroscope. The use of the unaided eye and a low power stereo hammered home one of the key points of Ron's talk - do not lose sight of the big picture! Ron noted that as microscopists, we can sometimes focus on a small area only, and can obtain erroneous conclusions unless we relate that area to the overall failure. He stressed that we must look at things like tear direction, tear patterns, failure surface conditions, and even lighting of the failure while we're observing it. He also stressed that it is important to know in advance, how your product fails under normal service/wear conditions, so that you can determine if the failure that you are currently observing is a typical or unusual failure. Other practical tips for the failure analyst included talking to the submitter of the problem about what level of information they need, what kind of info they need to help them immediately, and the product process and service history. He also noted that we should be familiar enough with other analytical techniques to recommend them to the submitter in the instances where microscopy cannot or does not completely solve the problem. On a personal note, Ron's talk was all the more entertaining because he is an individual who truly enjoys the "hunt" for the failure culprit as much as he does the "capture" of the problem solution. He seems to apply his enthusiasm for finding out about things to his hobbies as well as his vocation, and has gained some valuable insights about materials and products along the way.
Following this delightful talk, dinner was served buffet style. Since St. Patrick's Day was imminent, corned beef and cabbage was one of the dinner selections. In addition to a variety of sides and salad, stuffed chicken breasts and pasta were served. All were excellent, as was the cheesecake for dessert.
Following dinner, Dr. Jeffrey Johansen of John Carroll University spoke on "Biodiversity in the Algae: Using Nomarski DIC Microscopes to Illuminate Ecosystem Health". Diatoms are single-celled algae which live everywhere light and water are present. These highly ornamental organisms are found in the Mojave desert, in the Antarctic, and in other hostile environments. In desert soil crusts, diatoms form aggregates that prevent erosion and increase soil fertility. Diatoms come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with saltwater diatoms being predominantly centric (round), and freshwater diatoms being mostly pinnate (spindle-shaped). Since diatoms have very narrow environmental requirements, they can serve as a useful predictor of water/environment quality. Characterization of diatom populations can be used to evaluate the effects of acid rain, by determining pH changes in lakes. Dr. Johansen analyzed diatom populations along 10 river-mouths around Lake Erie, and has developed an "Erie Diatom Index", which can be evaluated to determine "good" rivers from "bad" rivers in terms of water quality. In addition to their usefulness as a water quality predictor, diatoms can be used to evaluate student progress in microscopy. Dr. Johansen asks students to align a microscope such that minute details of specific diatoms are visible; if a student can perform this alignment, they have learned good microscopic technique. Dr. Johansen presented some very interesting data on water quality of Lake Erie rivers, and showed some gorgeous photomicrographs of these intriguing organisms.
MSNO would like to thank Mark Kovalcic for his outstanding efforts in setting up this meeting. The Summa facilities and food service were wonderful, and we greatly appreciate being able to hold our meeting in their venue.
by Kathleen J. Doane, Ph.D.
MSNO board
elections were held in time for announcing at the May meeting. Elections were
held as last year, with mail-in ballots. Open positions included President-elect
(biological), Secretary (Val Woodward is stepping down from her secretarial
duties to take on the position of MSNO Newsletter Editor), and one Trustee.
In a tight race, Dr. William Landis, who has transferred his New England Society
of Microscopy membership to MSNO when he accepted the chairmanship of Biochemistry
and Molecular Pathology at NEOUCOM, won the position of President-elect. Replacing
Val as our long-time Secretary is Dr. Sherry Stuesse, a new member of MSNO who
is a Professor of Neurobiology and Pharmacology at NEOUCOM. For the open Trustee
position, Dr. Robert Duff (retired) and Dr. Lorraine Siperko (from the Biochemistry
and Molecular Pathology Department at NEOUCOM) were both tied for the position.
Since Dr. Landis vacated a 1 year Trustee position, both will be able to serve
as Trustees. The 1 year position was given to Lorraine (although this may be
up for negotiation). Congratulations to all of the new Officers!
Top
by Kathleen J. Doane, Ph.D.
After many years of service to MSNO as Secretary, Val Woodward has decided not to run for this position. She would like to try new challenges, and has agreed to become MSNO Newsletter Editor. In addition to her role as MSNO Secretary, Val was recently elected to the MAS Council, which takes up a great deal of her time. The position as Newsletter Editor is a board-appointed position, so Val will officially begin her tour after the next MSNO board meeting and assumption of this position by newly elected Secretary Sherry Steusse. MSNO would like to thank Val for her years of outstanding service to the Society, and extend heartfelt thanks that she is willing to continue helping the Society by serving as Newsletter Editor.
by Kathleen J. Doane, Ph.D.
The Spring meeting of MSNO was held on May 16, 2001, at the Kent Smith Hale building of Case Western Reserve University. This building is quite unusual, with a lovely central skylight and atrium and labs or offices spiraling around. The setting for the Student Poster Competition and the MSA traveling poster exhibit was the fourth and fifth floor atria, with a stunning view of the central part of the building. The generosity of the sponsors of the poster competition (B&B Microscopes, Fryer Company, Inc., and W. Nuhsbaum, Inc.) allowed MSNO to award $50 cash prizes to each of the student winners: Hu Duan, Denise Wade Rafferty (Graduate Materials), and Barb Puder, Kim Sloan-Stakleff, and Xiongwei Zhu (Graduate Biological). We hope this encourages more students to participate next year!
After the poster session, a tour of the Allen microscope museum was led by Trustee Jay Mansbach. The antique microscopes on display in this museum were extremely interesting and beautiful. The tour was followed by a wine and cheese reception sponsored by FEI, which included an outstanding antipasta platter, vegetable crudites, and cheese and crackers.
Following the reception, the attendees went to hear Dr. Peter Ottensmeyer of the Ontario Cancer Institute and Dept. of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto speak about Energy Filtered TEM. His title was "High Loss, No Loss. Now Add Low Loss: Electron Spectroscopic Imaging Using Low-Loss Excitation Equivalent to the Visible Color Spectrum" (a take-off on the Dr. Seuss classic One Fish, Two Fish). Dr. Ottensmeyer discussed designing and building an imaging filter with a 1 eV energy resolution, which allowed researchers to obtain images with low energy losses. Using this methodology, it is possible to map the distribution of calcium, phosphorous and sulfur in calcifying cartilage, for example, or see the 3-D version of a DNA and phosphorus in a nucleosome. In addition, EFTEM can be used to analyze fluorescently-labeled material using electron microscopy. Dr. Ottensmeyer then went on to discuss upcoming improvements in the technology, including better electron sources and cold stages. He also suggested the need for a better acronym, such as HIMEX (For High Resolution Imaging with Molecular Excitations....).
Following this informative talk, the buffet dinner, including stuffed chicken breasts and vegetarian lasagna, was served on the third floor atrium, lighted by the skylight. Although the dessert bars were left on the truck by the caterer, the rest of the food was enjoyed by all.
Next, Dr. Jim Bentley of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory spoke on "Energy Filtered TEM of Materials". Using this technique, researchers at ORNL's SHaRE user facility have developed and optimized EFTEM for quantitative mapping down to 1 µm resolution. Advantages of this technique include the excellent spatial resolution of elements, the fact that polymers can be viewed without staining, and that phases (not just element combinations) can be determined. ORNL data including a variety of materials, such as steels, alloys, magnetic recording media, transition metal oxides, and diamond-like carbon was presented by Dr. Bentley. An example of the usefulness of EFTEM was in an analysis of magnetic recording medium. The manufacturer's believed they were depositing 12% chromium, but it was shown that the actual was closer to 5%. If anyone is interested in using this interesting technique, the ShaRE facility is available for free for researchers in academia, and grants are available to fund travel for faculty and students (sorry, those in industry must pay for the privilege of using this facility). Contact the ShaRE Facility at www.ornl.gov/share for more information.
MSNO would like to thank all those who helped sponsor this meeting: B&B Microscopes, Fryer Company, Inc., and W. Nuhsbaum, Inc. for sponsoring the student poster session, and FEI for sponsoring the wine and cheese. We would like to thank CWRU for the use of their beautiful building and for allowing us to tour the Allen Museum.
by Kathleen J. Doane, Ph.D.
The MSNO website (MSNEO.org) has been updated, and will provide you with: information on upcoming meetings and events, both MSNO and otherwise; member happenings; a downloadable membership form; upcoming elections; www links. In addition, the current edition of the newsletter will be posted. So visit our website for all your microscopy needs!
by Kathleen J. Doane, Ph.D.
Microscopy and Microanalysis 2001 will be held August 5-9 in Long Beach, CA. Prior to the start of the meeting, there will be several short courses, and a Pre-meeting Congress on "Imaging Life: From Cells to Whole Animals". Symposia, tutorials, and poster sessions will begin on August 6. New techniques will be discussed in "Advances in Instrumentation and Techniques". Tutorials will cover a variety of topics including Core Facility Management and digital imaging. The Technologists Forum will present a variety of talks on Environmental SEM and present a round table discussion on remote microscopy (see report from the Tech Forum Chair in this Newsletter). The presentation "Role of Microscopy and Microanalysis in the Real World" should prove fascinating, covering analysis of art, forensics, and aerospace applications. Also, come see the Awards ceremony and watch MSNO's own Robin Jacquet receive a Professional Technical Staff Award! Add to this the Sunday night reception on the Queen Mary, a jaunt on the yacht the Spirit, and the possibility of actually staying on the Queen Mary (famous for being haunted), will make this meeting truly enjoyable. Please come and join the fun, and learn even more about microscopy!
From the MAS Director's Chair...
by Valerie Woodward
MAS Winter Council met January 20, 2001 at the University of Oregon, Eugene. We had a very full agenda. We welcomed the President-Elect, Greg Meeker (USGS, Boulder), and new Directors, Stacie Kirsch and Ernie Hall. We also acknowledged the service of outgoing Directors Paul Carpenter and Inga Musselman.
The topic of most interest was the M&M 2001 program, of which Inga Musselman is program co-chair (with Edgar Voelkl, ORNL). MAS is well represented in the program, with some special symposia including "Microscopy and Microanalysis in the Real World," and "Atom Location by Channeling Enhancement of X-ray and EELS Signals." The MAS Presidential Happenings Speaker is Eric Doehne of the Getty Museum, speaking on "The Role of Microscopy and Microanalysis in Cultural Heritage Preservation."
The new MAS directories are a big hit among the membership. It is a spiral-bound notebook-sized volume, and in addition to the member info, there is history of the MAS, significant awards given by the society (and a list of past winners), and the by-laws of the Society. You can receive one by joining the MAS!
The Tour Speaker program is one of the busiest in the past few years. There have been 8 requests so far in 2001, and there are more coming in. Yours truly spoke on May 3 and 4, 2001 at Medtronic in Minneapolis, and the Minnesota Microscopy Society Spring Symposium in St. Paul, respectively, on the topic "What the Heck Happened to This? Real-Life Approach to Failure Analysis and Problem Solving." The program is providing one of the speakers for MSNO's Spring Symposium, Dr. Jim Bentley of ORNL. See the benefits of a MAS affiliation?
There will be a special NIST-MAS workshop in Gaithersburg on October 15-18, 2001 as part of the NIST Centennial celebration. It is titled "Understanding the Accuracy Barrier in Electron Probe Microanalysis and the Role of Standards." For more information, check the NIST web site: www.nist.gov/conferences. There is no registration fee, but all participants will be required to register.
Ron Anderson, MSA President, was a guest at our meeting, and provided a number of insights from the MSA perspective. MAS President, Rich Linton, was invited to attend the MSA Winter Council meeting in February. Both societies are anxious to foster this type of cooperation.
The journal, Microscopy and Microanalysis, is gaining more technical ground each year. The editor, Charles Lyman, (MAS immediate Past-President) noted that the number of submitted papers has steadily increased, and that the journal is gaining in citations in other refereed journals.The next MAS Council meeting will be in Long Beach on August 5th, 2001. If you have any items that you would like to bring into consideration for the MAS Council, please forward them to Valerie Woodward at woodward@brk.bfg.com.
Report from the Technologists' Forum Chair
by Jeanette Killius
The Tech Forum has been working hard to bring everyone an outstanding program at the upcoming Microscopy & Microanalysis 2001 meeting in Long Beach, CA, August 5-9. As always, the Tech Forum selects topics of interest to technologists and aims the programming at practical information useful for improving one's lab skills. These sessions are videotaped and available to MSA members for a small fee to cover shipping and handling. So if you can't make the meeting but want to benefit from the information, please contact the Education Committee, M. Grace Burke - chair, at m.g.burke@att.net to reserve your copy.
The busy week begins Tuesday, August 7th with a day-long symposium on ESEM/ LV/VP: Imaging at Low Vacuum. Morning co-chairs are Cathy Johnson, Gates Rubber Inc., and MSNO's Jeanette Killius. Mike Kersker of JEOL USA will introduce the session by discussing the development of the technology in "The History of ESEM in 2-1/2 Chapters". John Mansfield, University of Michigan, will follow with an "Analysis of Interesting Materials in the Environmental SEM: You Put What in Your Microscope?" M&M 2002 Program Co-Chair Raynald Gauvin from Université de Sherbrooke will discuss "X-Ray Microanalysis of Materials in the ESEM or VP-SEM". Concluding the morning session will be Eric Doehne, Getty Conservation Institute, who will show "Charge Contrast Imaging of Calcite Crystal Growth Using the Environmental SEM".
The afternoon session is co-chaired by Carol Hearne, Univ. of Wyoming, and MSNO's Val Woodward. The sole invited speaker is Chris Gilpin from the University of Texas Medical Center. His talk is entitled "Techniques and Applications for Imaging Biological Samples in a Low Vacuum ESEM". The rest of the afternoon is filled with contributed papers. A short Tech Forum business meeting will follow the session in the same room.
The Tech Forum Special Topics presentation Wednesday morning, August 8th will feature Lucille Giannuzzi from the University of Central Florida. She will discuss "FIB/SEM Dual Beam Instrumentation: Slicing, Dicing, Imaging and More". Dr. Giannuzzi will present information useful to both biological and physical scientists who want to learn more about this valuable technique.
This year's Roundtable Discussion will be held Thursday morning, August 9th. Chaired by Nestor Zaluzec, the topic is "Remote Microscopy in Shared and Teaching Facilities". The panel is composed of Judy Murphy, San Joaquin Delta College; Scott Chumbley, Iowa State University; and Steve Barlow, San Diego State University. This very topical issue will be covered earlier in the week with a session of its own. This will provide a forum for discussing ideas of using computers and video to link remote sites to expensive instrumentation.
The Professional
Technical Staff Awards are given annually to Tech Forum members who submit abstracts
for presentation at the M&M meeting. The award consists of complimentary
registration and up to $600 to aid with travel expenses. No more than four are
given each year. Among this year's winners, I am pleased to announce that MSNO
member Robin Jacquet of NEOUCOM is a recipient. She will be attending the Long
Beach meeting to present a poster entitled "Application of Novel Laser Capture
Microdissection and RT-PCR to a Functional Analysis of Osteopontin in Mouse
Growth Plate Cartilage". Please be sure to congratulate Robin when you see her.
If you attend M&M 2001, stop by the Tech Forum booth and say "hi". We are part of the MSA megabooth, centrally located on the exhibit floor. In addition to providing top-notch speakers, roundtable discussions, and sponsoring awards, we have hints 'n tips handouts from our members and maintain a facilities directory. Join our network and get our bi-annual newsletter. If you are an MSA member, it's free. Check out our website at www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/emcenter/msa/ techforum and see what we're all about.
by Kathleen J. Doane, Ph.D.
Just a reminder - your 2001 MSNO dues, a reasonable $10 for most and $5 for students ($50 for corporate members), should be paid by now! There are many benefits to MSNO membership, including local meetings on a variety of topics, interaction with other microscopists, receiving this newsletter, and notices of other meetings posted to our website, MSNEO.org. So please send in the MSNO form (one is included with this newsletter, so no excuses!) with your check!
by Kathleen J. Doane, Ph.D.
Dr. Jacques Gilloteaux, Professor of Anatomy at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, has won the "Outstanding Professor of the Year" award at this institution. The class of 2003 bestowed this honor on Dr. Gilloteaux at their Student Awards Ceremony. This is the second time Dr. Gilloteaux has received this award, the first time being in 1998. Congratulations!
UPCOMING MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS
28th Annual Meeting of the Microscopical Society of Canada, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, June 6-8, 2001. For more information, contact Susan Belfry (e-mail: belfry@unb.ca) or Gerry Bance (e-mail: gnb@unb.ca). WWW: http://msc.rsvs.ulaval.ca
Lehigh
Microscopy School Courses, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, June 10-22.
SEM
and X-ray Microanalysis, June 11-15, 2001
Introduction
to SEM and EDS for the New SEM Operator, Jun 10, 2001
Special
Topics in SEM, June 18-22, 2001
Advanced
Scanning Electron Microscopy
Quantitative
X-ray Microanalysis
Analytical Transmission Electron, June 18-21, 2001
TEM
Specimen Preparation, June 19-21, 2001
Atomic
Force Microscopy, June 19-22, 2001
For
more information, contact Sharon Coe, FAX 1-610-758-4244; sharon.coe@lehigh.edu
SCIA 2001, Bergen Norway, June 11-14, 2001. Sponsored by the International Association for Pattern Recognition. For more information, contact SCIA 2001, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Stavanger University College, P.O. Box 2557, Ullandhaug, N-4091 Stavanger, Norway. E-mail: hubnew@iod.krakow.pl. WWW: http://www.ux.his.no/scia2001/.
Microscopy and Microanalysis 2001, Long Beach, CA, August 5-9, 2001. For more information, contact Mary Beth Rebedeau, the Rebedeau Group, 7000 W. Southwest Hwy., Chicago Ridge, IL 60415. Tel. (708) 361-6000, FAX (709) 361-6166; e-mail: msa@tradeshownet.com. WWW: http://www.msa.microscopy.com/.
Annual Meeting of the American Microscopical Society (AMS), Anaheim, CA, Jan. 6-10, 2002. For more information, contact SICB Business Office. Tel. (800) 955-1236 or (312) 527-6697; FAX (703) 790-2672; e-mail: sicb@burkinc.com . Or contact the AMS Program Officer, Dr. John C. Clamp, at e-mail: jclamp@wpo.uccu.edu; Tel. (919) 560-6395; FAX (919) 530-7773. WWW: http://www.umesci.maine.edu/ams/symposia.htm.
Pittcon 2002, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 17-22, 2002. For more information, contact The Pittsburgh Conference, 300 Penn Center Boulevard, Suite 332, Pittsburgh, PA 15235-5503. Tel. (412) 825 or (800) 825-3221; FAX (412) 825-3224; e-mail: expo@pittcon.org. WWW: http://www.pittcon.org.
Scanning 2002, San Diego, CA, May 4-6, 2002. For more information, contact Mary K. Sullivan. Tel. (201) 818-1010; FAX (201) 818-0086; e-mail: scanning@fams.org.
Microscopy and Microanalysis 2002, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, August 4-8, 2002. For more information, contact Mary Beth Rebedeau, The Rebedeau Group, 7000 W. Southwest Hwy., Chicago Ridge, IL 60415. Tel. (708) 361-6000; FAX (708) 361-6166; e-mail: msa@tradeshwnet.com; www: http://www.msa.microscopy.com/.
XVth International Congress on Electron Microscopy, Durban, South Africa, Sept. 1-6, 2002. For more information, contact Robin Cross, Electron Microscopy Unit, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa. Tel. +27 46 622 4377; e-mail: eurc@giraffe.ru.ac.za; WWW: http://www.ru.ac.za/affiliates/emu/icem2002.htm.