Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory Newsblog

Author: Elizabeth Miller

ACMAL HOLIDAY HOURS

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ACMAL will be closed next week on Thursday, July 4th, in observance of the holiday.

Please note the following availability of our team members during that week:

  • I will be out of the office all week.
  • Erico is still on leave in Brazil.
  • Ed will be available Monday through Wednesday.
  • Izzy will be available Monday through Wednesday, and possibly Friday.
  • Tim will be available by appointment.
  • Cooper will be available on Monday and Tuesday.
  • Alyssa will be available on Monday.

Plan accordingly for any deadlines or projects that may be affected by the closure. If you have any urgent matters that require attention, please reach out to the respective available team members listed above.

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ACMAL Billing System Update

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Dear ACMAL Users,

I hope this message finds you well. We wanted to inform you of an upcoming change regarding the billing and usage tracking system for all ACMAL instruments. Starting from July 1st, we will be transitioning to a new system called FOM (Facility Online Management) for managing these aspects.

To access the new FOM system, you can log in online at fom.mtu.edu with your SSO credentials. Please note that to log in, you must be connected to the MTU internet network. Alternatively, you can utilize the Big Edge IP client to access the system from home. Please refer to the user guide below for more information.

FOM Internal User Guide Draft 3

We understand that transitions like this may raise questions or require some adjustments. To assist you with this transition, we will be hosting information sessions June 26th and 27th. These sessions will provide an overview of the new system, address any concerns you may have, and offer guidance on navigating the transition smoothly.

  • Session 1 – Wednesday June 26th, 1-2pm in M&M 610 or via Zoom
  • Session 2 – Thursday June 27th, 11am – noon in M&M 610 or via Zoom

Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you have any immediate questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Best,
Liz

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Hitachi FESEM – Maintenance done – good practice

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Hi FESEM users,

The Hitachi service engineer did the year’s maintenance on the FESEM this past Monday and Tuesday 5/20 and 5/21.

1) He fixed the spring on the stage where we slid the specimen mount in. It was loose and that was causing some vibration. We should not see less jiggling images at higher magnification.

2) He did the full column alignment. From now on, use the software only when you do the alignments. Do not change the physical knobs of the apertures.

3) The beam monitor aperture is set at position 2, and should be kept at 2 !!!

4) If you ever need to change the objective aperture, only use the knob to switch between apertures 1, 3, or 4. Do not use aperture 2.

Objective aperture sizes: 1 > 3 = 2 > 4

Attn.: Objective apertures 2 and 3 have the same size. We exchange them annually when one or the other gets dirty. This year we are using 3.

Remember: Home stage position is: X=Y=Z=12.5 mm, Tilt = 0, Rotation = 0

Please, let me know if you still experience any problems.

Erico Freitas

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Medical Leave Notification: April 25th to June 6th

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I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to inform you that I will be on medical leave from April 25th through June 6th, 2024.

During this period, if you encounter any issues or have any questions, please reach out to the following contacts:

  • For X-ray Facility questions, please contact Dr. Ed Laitila at 906-369-2041 or email ealaitil@mtu.edu.
  • For Electron Optics Facility questions or sample preparation, please contact Dr. Erico Freitas at 906-299-2714 or email efragafr@mtu.edu, or Isabella Jaszczak at 734-250-1624 or email imwakeha@mtu.edu
  • For Scanning Probe Microscopy (AFM) & Surface Analysis (XPS) Facilities questions, please reach out to Dr. Timothy Leftwich at tleftwi@mtu.edu.
  • For Confocal Imaging Facility questions, please contact Dr. Marina Tanasova at 906-487-1163 or email mtanasov@mtu.edu (Cell Culture Lab & Flow Cytometer & Confocal).

In case of an emergency, call public safety by dialing 911.

These individuals, as experts in their respective areas, will be able to assist you promptly. However, please note that for general inquiries or matters not specific to a particular area, it is best to contact me upon my return.

Training and analysis requests can be completed online using our Google form. 

I have complete confidence in the ACMAL team’s abilities to handle any issues that may arise during my absence. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I will be sure to get back to you promptly upon my return on June 6th.

Wishing you all continued success with your research.

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