SANORD Abstract submission extension
22/04/2023
Registration to SANORD Conference 2023 in Hamar is now open
08/05/2023FIB/TEM Short Course: Basics of the Method and it’s Applications in Geosciences
**Dates:**5-9 June 2023
Presenter: Dr. Richard Wirth, GFZ-Potsdam, Germany
**Registration cost:**R1000 (staff) and R500 (students)
Venue: University of the Western Cape, School of Public Health building rooms 1A&B
For any questions please contact ekovaleva@uwc.ac.za
Dr. Richard Wirth from the GFZ-Potsdam is a world-class specialist and an international leader in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and its application in Geosciences. He is not only a skilled and experienced operator of sophisticated equipment but also an exceptional scientist with more than 427 peer-reviewed papers in accredited journals and an outstanding h-index of 62.
Dr. Wirth’s workshop on the TEM principles and applications was presented to researchers in the United States of America, Canada, China, Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic and received several international awards. From 5 to 9th June 2023, Dr. Wirth will present his course to the South African audience in UWC in a hybrid format.
South African researchers, instrument technicians, industry specialists, and postgraduate students will have a chance to learn from first hands about the physical principles behind the focused ion beam (FIB) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods, applications of these methods to bio-geo-materials, and the benefits and limitations of the techniques.
The topic is especially applicable to South African audiences as several TEM facilities are located in the country but are currently not used to their full potential. The workshop will enhance scientific discussions among the participants, and new potential research ideas and interdisciplinary collaborations are destined to be designed in the walls of UWC.
Structure of the course:
Theory (5-6 June): Applying FIB-TEM techniques and data interpretation requires some basic knowledge of physics in TEM and FIB application. That basic theory will be covered in the first part of the workshop. The theoretical background should enable one to understand better and evaluate own TEM data.
Application of TEM in (Bio) Geosciences (7-9 June): The second part of the planned workshop is three-day long and will be focused on practical applications of the method and will be case-based. Amongst others, the course will answer the questions: What research projects would be appropriate for these applications? How to process the data, and what conclusions to make based on the results?
