Peerless probing into the micro world

MATERIALS …, 2000

The Interactive Nano-Visualization for Science and Engineering Education (IN-VSEE) project at Arizona State University (ASU) has developed a remotely operable scanning probe microscope (SPM), a visualization gallery of images, and a number of educational modules with materials themes. It exploits the incredible potential of materials science for teaching at the high school and college level about fundamental concepts that cross traditionally separated disciplines. The packing of spheres is a topic that is ideal for linking together the different science and engineering disciplines because of the ubiquity and relevance of spheres in the materials world and the universality of the rules that govern their packing over a large range of sizes. Students can perform a number of discovery-based learning activities, over the web by simultaneously using IN-VSEE's web-accessible module (e.g., The Music of Spheres) and its remotely operable SPM for experimenting with nanosphere samples that they prepare. With these resources students can pose materials questions and are empowered to design their experiments to increase their understanding of real materials. The fundamental concepts (e.g., packing geometry, density, surface composition, long-range/short-range ordering, intermolecular forces, etc.) they learn through these materials science experiments are applicable to many other curricular, research, and technology areas.

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

While nanoscience and nanotechnology are not typically thought of as topics for the high school classroom, introducing such cutting-edge research provides a means to motivate student interest in science and engineering. The interdisciplinary nature of nanoscience & engineering allows for a wide range of topics including physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics to be taught within the exciting context of cutting-edge research. As part of the National Center for Learning and Teaching (NCLT) in Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Northwestern University is developing and testing concepts in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The nano-concept material (NCM) is based on a series of hands-on activities. The NCM are developed in close collaboration with high school teachers and are field-tested for feasibility. Learning theory is incorporated into the development of the materials with the assistance of education specialists. One set of nano-concept materials is being developed around a key measurement technique in nanoscience, scanning probe microscopy. Scanning probe microscopy is an important measurement technique for nanoscience and engineering, and provides a platform from which to teach basic science concepts such as measurements and forces. We will discuss the "hands-on" activities developed to teach concepts in scanning probe microscopy, as well as an assessment on how the materials fit into high school and middle school science curricula. Initial findings from a prototype design project show that the design project was successful in engaging student interest, and that the macroscopic models and activities were helpful in facilitating student understanding of how a scanning probe microscope works. All of the students were able to successfully build a working atomic force microscope and acquire an image.

1998

This case study describes a technique for the three-dimensional analysis of the internal microscopic structure ("microstructure") of materials. This technique consists of incrementally polishing through a thin layer (approximately 0.2 m) of material, chemically etching the polished surface, applying reference marks, and performing optical or scanning electron microscopy on selected areas. The series of images are then processed employing AVS and other visualization software to obtain a 3D reconstruction of the material. We describe how we applied this technique to an alloy steel to study the morphology, connectivity, and distribution of cementite precipitates formed during thermal processing. The results showed microstructural features not previously identified with traditional 2D techniques.

Microscopy Today, 2013

NanoGrande is the culmination of an art-science effort that brought undergraduate students and faculty from science, engineering, and the visual arts together with professional microscopists of the Capital District Microscopy and Microanalysis Society for electron microscopy education and outreach. Students from two independent undergraduate courses, an advanced photography course and a microscopy laboratory course, collaborated on the project. The participants represented a wide range of majors, including chemistry, biology, electrical engineering, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, bioengineering, psychology, neuroscience, sociology/social sciences, history, and the visual arts. Emphasis was placed on both the scientific and the artistic aspects of the imaging process. The creation of electron microscopy images that were at the same time scientifically meaningful and visually compelling depended critically on communication of insights and ideas between paired students. ...

Materials Research, 1999

Structure is at the heart of the materials science paradigm connecting processing with properties. In the hierarchy of structures that exist in materials microstructure offers the richest variety of structural arrangements. This variety is often conveniently accessible, e.g., simply by heat treatment or mechanical deformation. Exploration of the relation between properties and microstructure serves to establish a target range of microstructural states that will perform. In order to attain a target microstructure it is necessary to understand what microstructures are, and how they evolve in processing. This presentation focuses upon the set of tools that must be combined to achieve this control: 1. Geometry 2 Thermodynamics 3. Kinematics 4. Kinetics. The content of these tools is reviewed briefly and their uses illustrated in developing an understanding of how microstructures evolve. In this development an attempt is made to carry the description of each microstructural process as far as possible without making simplifying assumptions. The study of microstructures with this rigorous point of view was termed by F.N. Rhines, "microstructology".

Scientific Reports

Highly magnified micrographs are part of the majority of publications in materials science and related fields. They are often the basis for discussions and far-reaching conclusions on the nature of the specimen. In many cases, reviewers demand and researchers deliver only the bare minimum of micrographs to substantiate the research hypothesis at hand. In this work, we use heterogeneous poly(acrylonitrile) nanofiber nonwovens with embedded nanoparticles to demonstrate how an insufficient or biased micrograph selection may lead to erroneous conclusions. Different micrographs taken by transmission electron microscopy and helium ion microscopy with sometimes contradictory implications were analyzed and used as a basis for micromagnetic simulations. With this, we try to raise awareness for the possible consequences of cherry-picking for the reliability of scientific literature.

Journal of Chemical …, 2010

Scanning Microscopies 2014, 2014

Preparing an effective workforce in high technology is the goal of both academic and industry training, and has been the engine that drives innovation and product development in the United States for over a century. During the last 50 years, technician training has comprised a combination of two-year academic programs, internships and apprentice training, and extensive On-the-Job Training (OJT). Recently, and especially in Silicon Valley, technicians have four-year college degrees, as well as relevant hands-on training. Characterization in general, and microscopy in particular, is an essential tool in process development, manufacturing and QA/QC, and failure analysis. Training for a broad range of skills and practice is challenging, especially for community colleges. Workforce studies (SRI/Boeing) suggest that even four year colleges often do not provide the relevant training and experience in laboratory skills, especially design of experiments and analysis of data. Companies in high-tech further report difficulty in finding skilled labor, especially with industry specific experience. Foothill College, in partnership with UCSC, SJSU, and NASA-Ames, has developed a microscopy training program embedded in a research laboratory, itself a partnership between university and government, providing hands-on experience in advanced instrumentation, experimental design and problem solving, with real-world context from small business innovators, in an environment called 'the collaboratory'. The program builds on AFM-SEM training at Foothill, and provides affordable training in FE-SEM and TEM through a cost recovery model. In addition to instrument and engineering training, the collaboratory also supports academic and personal growth through a multiplayer social network of students, faculty, researchers, and innovators.

2015