Monday August 12, 2007

There is so much to do in two days. Efren and I are working on our PowerPoint presentation of our research experience. I will present it next June to the new crop of R.E.T.s, and Efren will join us by Skype video. Jiangshui is popping in and out getting our data and copying our PowerPoint to show to Professor Russell. After lunch, Dian takes us to see the set up and operation of the Transmission Electron Microscope (T.E.M.).


The T.E.M. has a sizable quantity of liquid nitrogen added to it prior to its use. Above right, Dian fills the canister to transport the liquid nitrogen, and below, she empties it into the T.E.M. while standing on a chair!


Next, she loads the sample, which is on a tiny copper grid, onto the sample holder.


She places the sample holder into the T.E.M. and begins evacuating the chamber housing the sample.



Unfortunately, I could not get a picture of the screen, but here are some T.E.M. images from a different session.



Afterwards, Efren and I attended the doctoral defense of Ryan Murphy, then returned to the fifth floor to work on the PowerPoint and our blogs.