Open Day in Review - April 2025
Our first ever PEMC Open Day is over! We had a good turnout despite the rainy weather and enjoyed meeting a number of people who had never interacted with the PEMC before. For those who missed it, below are some images from the open day, including staff and student presentations, vendor presentations, poster sessions, and lab tours.
Opening Presentations
The day started off with a welcome from Dan DeLaurentis, introductions by Chris Gilpin, and presentations from the staff demonstrating the capabilities of the electron microscopes in the center.
Dan DeLaurentis, the Vice President for Research Institutes and Centers, Purdue Discovery Park District, kicked off the meeting. 
Chris Gilpin, the Director of the Purdue Electron Microscopy Center, gave introductory remarks on how the EM Center developed and introduced the staff. 
Sidnie demonstrated the SEM and EDX capabilities of the PEMC. 
Prem highlighted the EBSD and FIB capabilities of the PEMC. Student Presentations
After the staff, several students who use the equipment in the PEMC gave presentations on their research, highlighting how electron microscopy aided their research goals. Victoria Tucker, Alex Swett, Akul Seshadri, and Saptarshi Paul each did a fabulous job presenting their work. These student presenters have expertise in quite different fields, demonstrating the broad range of applications for electron microscopy.
Victoria Tucker presented "Advanced HR-STEM Characterization of the Persistence of Deformation Twinning in HAYNES® 244® Superalloy." 
Alex Swett presented "Functionalization of DNA Origami and Crystals." 
Akul Seshadri presented "Frozen in time - Utilizing Cryo SEM to Understand the Impacts of Hydrogels on Early-age Cement Hydrates." 
Rishi Paul presented "Probing Electrodeposition with Electron Microscopy: From Nanoparticle Formation to Battery Applications." Posters, Vendors, and Tours
Several poster presentations and a vender presentation by Oxford Instruments preceded the lab tours. We had an excellent turnout for lunch and the poster sessions, including several members of local businesses. Lunch was generously provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific, who manufacture 10 of the 11 electron microscopes in the PEMC. After lunch, we headed off into the rain to tour the PEMC's three locations across campus. The EM tourists were able to see our state-of-the-art microscopes, preparation equipment, and even play tic-tac-toe with a FIB to see how ion milling works in person.
Joe LeFebvre presented "An Overview of Elemental and Microstructural Analysis Capabilities in the SEM with EDS and EBSD" on behalf of Oxford Instruments, the manufacturer of 6 of the EDX/EBSD systems in the PEMC. 
Krutarth Kamath presented "Oxidation of Titanium Carbide MXenes: A Systematic Microscopic Study." 
In the Birck Nanotechnology Center, the tour participants were introduced to the Helios G4 UX FEG Dual Beam. 
During the tour of the EMs in Whistler Hall of Agricultural Research, the tour participants got a little hands-on experience, playing tic tac toe on a silicon chip using the ion beam on the Quanta 3D.