News

We bring you up to date with our bi-monthly EMU Newsletter, featuring the latest developments in the unit.

EMU Newsletter September/October 2009
Fidel Castro, Jr. Visits the EMU. Feedback on the Survey. News from the Laboratories. Talented Students Display Their Talents for Microscopy. Bits 'n Pieces
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EMU Newsletter July/August 2009
The Unit Welcomes New Staff. Kids Get Hands-on with Microscopes. Goodbye Jody Cutler. Living Large at Microscopy and Microanalysis. Vive la France – Continental Students Make an Impact
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EMU Newsletter May/June 2009
Update from the SEM Front. 3rd AMMRF Strategic Planning Workshop. Materials Australia – Microscopy Symposium. Kristina Jahn Receives Postgraduate Research Prize. Making Our Images Work for Us. Reviving the EMU’s Corridors. Users’ Publications – Acknowledging Your Success
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Fidel Castro, Jr. Visits to Talk Science

On Tuesday 20 October 2009, Dr Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, Scientific Advisor of the State Council of Cuba, visited the EMU as part of a Cuban delegation’s visit to the University of Sydney. As his name suggests, Dr Castro is the eldest son of Fidel Castro, the former prime minister and later president of Cuba for decades. He and the rest of the Cuban delegation were here to examine Australia’s research in the fields of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and nuclear science, looking for opportunities for collaboration and exchange of ideas.

As part of his visit to Sydney, Dr Castro was eager to see the facilities and hear about the research done in, and by, the EMU. His curiosity was rewarded with a detailed tour of the some of the unit's major instruments and laboratories, led by EMU Director Prof. Simon Ringer. This was followed by a discussion of what the unit does, how it works, and its leadership role as headquarters of the Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility (AMMRF). As a scientific advisor, Dr Castro was particularly interested to learn about the innovative mechanisms, such as NCRIS, the federal government has put in place in recent years to fund major research infrastructure in Australia.

During the visit to Sydney, the delegation also spent time with DVC (International) Prof. John Hearn and DVC (Research) Prof. Jill Trewhella. The visit was part of a program coordinated by the Commonwealth Government's Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

Dr Castro has an extensive scientific and research background. He received a masters in nuclear physics and a PhD in physical-mathematical sciences from Russian institutions during the 1970s, and did postdoctoral research in nuclear-power generation at the I. V. Kurchatov Atomic Energy lnstitute in Moscow. In later years, he also undertook a masters in strategic planning and higher management and he was awarded a doctor of sciences in 2000. Dr Castro has received several prizes and distinctions during his career and is a member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the Ibero-Latin American Association of Technological Innovation, among others. He has more than 150 scientific publications and 10 books.

Instrument donation boosts AMMRF mineral analysis capability

11 March 2009, Sydney

BHP Billiton has generously donated a Qemscan automated mineral analysis system to the Australian Key Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, the University of Sydney node of the AMMRF. This donation makes a very valuable instrument available to the entire Australian research community, significantly increasing the AMMRF’s capability in the area of mineral analysis. As with all AMMRF instrumentation, the Qemscan will be available to researchers in universities, research labs and industry.

The Australian Key Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis has built up a close working partnership with BHP Billiton over a number of years based on collaborative research and provision of testing services. Such a donation not only facilitates further valuable linkages with BHP Billiton and other industry partners, but also supports top-quality Australian research.

The Qemscan is an automated mineral analysis system based on a Zeiss EVO 50 scanning electron microscope. Four EDS detectors are used simultaneously to rapidly determine the mineral phases in a polished section of rock. Sophisticated software differentiates the mineral from the mounting resin so that analysis time is devoted only to the rock itself. The results are visually presented in colour-coded mineral maps, which are readily interpreted by mineralogists and process metallurgists. With the four EDS detectors, the instrument can analyse up to 200 points per second, making it a serious tool for improving productivity in the analysis of rocks in geoscience research and the mining industry. It will be an absolute boon to anyone in these fields.

As well as the specialised mineral-analysis functions, the Qemscan is also a very high quality scanning electron microscope in its own right. The Qemscan system was developed by Intellection, a Brisbane based spin-off of CSIRO that was recently acquired by FEI.

As well as the newly donated instrument at the University of Sydney, a Qemscan is also available to Australian researchers at the Ian Wark Research Institute at the University of South Australia, part of the SA node of the AMMRF.

For usage enquiries at the Key Centre please contact:

• Research users: , ph. 02 9351 7561.
• Industry users: , ph. 02 9114 0566.