Late summer/fall microscopy events

August 19-21, 2009 
International Tutorial Workshop on Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM)

National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)

Tsukuba, Japan

The workshop is the 5th in a series and precedes the IMF-ISAF conference at Xi'an Jiaotong University in China. It will feature a series of tutorial and invited lectures on instrumental and theoretical aspects of PFM, nanoscale ferroelectricity, and emerging techniques such as Scanning Nonlinear Dielectric Microscopy. More information here. 

August 26, 2009

Materials Electron Microscopy: At the Limit

University of Illinois at Chicago

USA

This Midwest Microscopy & Microanalysis Society Meeting is a day of invited speakers discussing advanced electron microscopy in materials science. More information here. 

September 8-11, 2009
EMAG Conference and Exhibition 
University of Sheffield

UK
The Electron Microscopy and Analysis Group’s (EMAG) biennial conference captures the latest in the development and applications of electron microscope techniques. This year's themes are advanced electron microscopy techniques; investigating structure-property relationships in advanced material; and nanophysics and nanotechnology. The conference includes exhibitors, lectures, posters and technical workshops. More information here. 

September 22-25, 2009

Force Measurement and Manipulation in Biological Microscopy
University of North Carolina

Chapel Hill, NC USA

Learn the theory and techniques of measuring forces in biological samples in this course presented by Computer Integrated Systems for Microscopy and Manipulation, an NIH NIBIB Biotechnology Resource Center at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Attendees will use AFM, laser tweezers, and 3-D magnetic force systems on live biological samples, learn the theory and applications of force measurement, and receive an overview of mechanisms of force generation in biology and consequences at molecular and cellular level. More information here. 

October 14-15, 2009

8th International Symposium on Scanning Probe Microscopy & 

2nd International Symposium on Optical Tweezers in Life Sciences
Umspannwerk Ost, Berlin

This joint meeting is a forum for applications in scanning probe and optical tweezers technologies in life sciences. Applications covered include biophysical, biochemical and medical research. Leaders in the field together with novices are encouraged to learn from each other, discuss the presentations and share their experiences. More information here.

These events are also listed in the calendar on the right of this page. 

Grant winners announced and 'SPM in Energy' grant solicitation underway

Congratulations to the winners of "HarmoniX Innovation," phase I of Veeco Labs Research Grant Program. The best proposals for research in nano- and biomaterial development using the HarmoniX were chosen to receive the full-spectrum HarmoniX microscopy package.

HarmoniX is an atomic force microscopy mode that offsets the probe tip from the cantilever. This enhances the signal-to-noise ratio of the cantilever harmonics in TappingMode by coupling the normal forces of the tip with the torsional cantilever motion.

And the winners are . . . 

• Liz Adams and Kirk Czymmek (University of Delaware, USA) – “Characterization of the Fungal Cell Wall Structure Using HarmoniX AFM”
  
• Zbigniew Celinski and Anatoliy Glushchenko (University of Colorado, USA) – “Mapping the Aligning Forces Acting on Liquid Crystals on an Inorganic Substrate”
  
• Sidney Cohen and David Cahen (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel) – “Molecular-Level Mechanics of Self-Assembled Monolayer Films Containing the Azo-Benzene Group and Their Applications in Molecular Motors”
  
• S. De Beer, Dirk van den Ende, Frieder Mugele, Bram Borkent and Detlef Lohse (University of Twente, Netherlands) – “HarmoniX for Nanofluidics”
  
• Philippe LeClere (University of Mons-Hainaut, Belgium) – “Biomimetic Surfaces: Adhesives for the Future”
  
• George Schitter (Delft University of Technology, Netherlands) – “Optimizing the Speed of TappingMode AFM by HarmoniX-Based Feedback”
  
• Igor Sokolov (Clarkson University, USA) – “Study of Local Rigidity Distributions on Human Cells: ‘Sick’ versus Normal Cells”
  
• Andreea Trache (Texas A&M University, USA) – “Measurements of Cytoskeletal Stiffness Dynamics in Live Cells Using HarmoniX Mapping Module”
  
• G. Julius Vancso and Holger Schönherr (University of Twente, Netherlands) – “Chemically Sensitive Probing with HarmoniX”

If you missed out on Phase I, take a look at Phase II - "SPM in Energy." Proposals are currently sought for concept development and validation using scanning probe microscopy (SPM) to speed the characterization of, facilitate the development of, improve the yield/efficiency of, or enhance fundamental understanding of, energy generation, storage, or conservation. These grant winners will receive an equipment stipend for nano-electronic application modules for their Veeco Dimension, MultiMode, or Innova SPMs. More information at http://tinyurl.com/cna3xu.