N.C. A&T latest to install remote station
The latest CEMAS remote operation station was installed at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University (N.C. A&T) in June of 2018 with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) (NSF grant number 0812348).
The Ohio State University and N.C. A&T, a HBCU institution with an outstanding track record of addressing diversity in STEM education, have signed a strategic research partnership agreement the covers many common areas of activity, including electron and ion beam characterization. N.C. A&T, the first remote university partner outside of Ohio, is home to the NSF Engineering Research Center for Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials (ERC-RMB). The link with CEMAS will allow ERC-RMB students to connect to our facility remotely, take part in
interactive courses in advanced microscopy, and use CEMAS instruments in their research. The station enables the remote site to access the full capability of the aberration corrected STEM instruments, but also the FIBs and SEMs as well. The remote station is comprised of microscope control panels, computer and displays, as well as the combination of video encoders and decoders that enable the remote user to use the microscope as if they were “sitting in the same room” as the instrument. Samples will be shipped to CEMAS and be loaded into the microscope by an experienced technician. The remote link will be enabled, and the off-site researcher will begin their remote experiment, either operating independently or in collaboration with a research scientist at CEMAS with full audio and video connectivity, as if everyone and the instrument were co-located. This system, which is the first to be installed outside of the OARnet network, is able to control the instruments at CEMAS with the same high-quality operational standards as the direct OARnet connected systems at University of Dayton and the Air Force Research Laboratory.
The instruments accessible by remote operation display significantly advanced capabilities in analytical technologies, specimen stage design and detector collection efficiencies on a platform designed for efficient multimodal analysis leading to a one-of-a-kind facility found for efficient and effective frontier research opportunities collaboration and believe it will result in a best-practice model for others to emulate across the nation. The partnership with N.C. A&T is an excellent example of remote microscopy’s potential to bring together two world-leading research organizations to maximize the impact of research activities and federal funding.
Read more about the remote access here.
