Program

The goal of this workshop is to identify novel scientific infrastructure advances in the field of electron microscopy that will have a transformative impact on areas of energy and quantum science and technology. Progress in engineering research has a major impact on society affecting almost every sphere of human activity including construction, manufacturing, transportation, energy, the environment, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and human health. Technological advances often flow from development of devices and processes that require transport, control and materials. While materials are ubiquitous in engineering there are many properties of technologically relevant materials systems that remain unknown or poorly understood.

This fundamental knowledge gap may be addressed through advanced nanoscale and atomic resolution probing of materials. Electron microscopy imaging, spectroscopy and diffraction are primary tools for probing materials structures and properties at the nanometer and atomic level. Despite numerous recent and remarkable advances in microscopy, there remain significant limitations that hinder solution of complex materials problems.

The workshop will address these limitations through the following objectives:

  • Articulate the most important materials problems that must be addressed in energy and quantum science and technology.
  • Identify the critical information that must be obtained to solve these problems.
  • Propose development of novel forms of microscopy instrumentation and infrastructure that will enable solutions to these materials problems.
  • Develop recommendations for NSF on how to support excellence and leadership in infrastructure for electron microscopy.

Organizing Committee:

Joshua Agar, Lehigh University
Peter Crozier (co-chair), Arizona State University
Peter Ercius, National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Stephen House, University of Pittsburgh
Sergei Kalinin, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Lena Kourkoutis (co-chair), Cornell University
David McComb, Ohio State University
Andrew Minor, University of California, Berkeley and National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Seda Ogrenci-Memik, Northwestern University
Frances Ross, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mary Scott, University of California, Berkeley and National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Toby Scott, Knowinnovation
Mitra Taheri, Johns Hopkins University
Paul Voyles, University of Wisconsin-Madison