The sustainable campus in Abu Dhabi became the venue for one of the largest gatherings when international and regional expert electron microscopists convened for the annual Electron Microscopy Conference and Symposium 2015 that was held from 2-5 November.
Aimed at highlighting the role of the community of microscopists in delivering regionally-relevant innovations, the four-day event focused on two regionally-relevant topics – digital rock physics and physical metallurgy — and explored advanced visualization techniques, including 3D imaging and combined imaging/analytical techniques. The conference also had hands-on training sessions covering ‘Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction’ and ‘Advanced Imaging Techniques.’
The objective of the event was to build advanced electron microscopy expertise and support the growth of the electron microscopy community within the UAE and help develop special local expertise in advanced visualization techniques, especially rock physics that will benefit oil and gas as well as the metals manufacturing sectors.
Masdar Institute has taken a leadership position in training local scientists to operate within its world-class electron microscopy facility. In four years, Masdar Institute has trained over 400 users in basic microscopy and over 150 of those users have continued their growth through advanced training sessions and use of the instruments. Advanced electron microscopy was also integral to the studies of Dr. Faisal Al Marzooqi, the first student to receive a PhD from Masdar Institute, who since then has become a faculty.
The conference themes had special relevance to local and regional industry such as Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), Emirates Steel Industries (ESI), Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO), and Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company Takreer, as well as regional academic institutions such as The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi University, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
Dr Behjat Al Yousuf, Interim Provost, Masdar Institute, said, “The second annual gathering of microscopists once again firmly established our advanced technology capabilities in locally-relevant research and development. We believe the summit will benefit representatives from industry, government and academia working in the microscopy sector.”
Dr Steve Griffiths, Vice-President for Research, and Mike Tiner, Director, Laboratories, Masdar Institute, welcomed the gathering of approximately 100 specialists. Dr. Mohamed Sassi, Interim Dean of Faculty, and Dr Mustapha Jouiad, Principal Scientist and Electron Microscopy Facility Manager, Masdar Institute, chaired the opening session. Visits to Masdar Institute’s cutting-edge laboratories were also part of the information-packed agenda.
Conference organizers had developed an agenda representing international specialists, corporate leaders and academicians including geology and mineralogy expert Dr. David Mainprice from University of Montpellier, France; Dr. Rene De Kloe, applications specialist in Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) from EDAX, a Materials Analysis Division unit of the leading global manufacturer AMETEK, Dr. Noomane Keskes, Scientific and Technology Adviser at Total, France; and Dr. David Field, Professor, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, US.
Electron Microscopes (EM) are critical for much of the research ongoing at Masdar Institute and the EM facility is one of the more widely utilized core laboratory facilities . The facility is available 24/7 with equipment scheduling, training program, status updates and can be accessed through the Masdar Institute web portal.
The corporate sponsors of the Electron Microscopy Symposium 2015 included EGA, FEI Company, WITec, Sigma-Aldrich, Naizak Global Engineering Systems, Gatan, Ametek; and Leica Application Suite (LAS).
Clarence Michael
News Writer
08 November 2015
