VINSE offering short courses in Microfluidics & TEM
VINSE short courses on Microfluidics and TEM have been postponed from early June to late August. Please check out the descriptions of the short courses on page 3 and send an email to vinse@vanderbilt.edu if you are interested in participating.
Microfluidic Device Fabrication
Microfluidic devices can enable “labs on chips” that consume less reagents and
have faster analysis times than similar experiments performed in a traditional lab
environment. Applications of microfluidic devices include portable sensors for
point-of-care analysis, molecular and cell biology studies, and high-throughput,
multiplexed assays. This short course will introduce the techniques behind the
fabrication of microfluidic devices. It will be structured to assume no prior
knowledge of the technologies by the participants. It will include an overview of
microfabrication and microfluidics, photolithography, soft lithography, polymers,
microfluidic device design, and microfluidic device applications. Students will
fabricate a PDMS-glass microfluidic device inside the VINSE cleanroom with
sessions broken down into SU-8 mold fabrication, PDMS mixing and pouring, and
device cutting, bonding and testing.
Cost – $150 Vanderbilt Users; $150 External Academic and Non-Profit Users; $600 Industry and For-Profit Users
Transmission and Scanning Transmission Electron
Microscopy (TEM/STEM) for Material Science
Transmission electron microscopy is an invaluable technique used to characterize
materials at the nanoscale. Beyond lattice imaging, the modern TEM is capable of
chemical imaging, 3D reconstructions and performing a variety of in situ
experiments. While the day-to-day operation of the TEM has become far more
accessible, it is necessary to possess a sound understanding of the mechanisms
behind image formation and how to best utilize the microscope to solve material
science problems. This short course will blend accessible lectures with hands-on
experience operating the Tecnai Osiris advanced analytical TEM/STEM. After
completing this course, users will know how to correctly acquire and interpret
bright field and dark field images as well as how to collect diffraction patterns.
Further, participants will learn how to access the STEM mode of the Osiris to collect
and quantify STEM-EDS maps.
Cost- $75 Vanderbilt Users; $75 External Academic and Non-Profit Users; $200 Industry and For-Profit Users