SEM imaging practice and fun!

I found a lot of cool samples in the SEM lab room.  This is a wasp abdomen and the widest angle possible.  

The abdomen was coated in gold to improve the imaging.  Certain material absorbs or radiates the electrons poorly, so they are coated with a gold mist.  I really don't understand how you can coat something so delicately!

I was using these cool specimens to practice the different imaging algorithms and methods.  For example to get this picture I adjusted the power of the electrons being projected and rotated and tilted the sample to get this interesting angle.

In the background of this picture you can see a bug leg.  Again this is as wide as the SEM can go.

The leg had so much detail it was awesome!

Even the hairs on the leg have ridges in them.  There is so much detail in nature.  Even though this picture looks very clear, it should be clearer and I should be able to zoom in much farther.  I talked with Dr. Smith and she says that their is an astigmatism with the focus of the electrons.  I hope I can work with her to fix the focus so we can zoom in even farther.  

Looking at the tips on the leg hairs I'm curious if we could find something naturally occurring in nature and simply coat it to use for our AFM.  That would be an incredibly cool different way to make tips.  

Etching Tungsten Tips for our AFM

This is a picture inside the SEM.  You can see the electron gun, the two detectors, and the samples at the bottom.  

I'm doing research for Dr. Cross.  I'm attempting to create cheep and effective tungsten tips for our Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)

The tips are etched using electrolysis.  I dip a thin tungsten wire into 7.5 molar KOH solution.  The wire is hooked up to direct current at about 3 volts and the KOH solution is hooked to the other end of the circuit.

These pictures were taken with he biology department's SEM.  I am checking the tips for blemishes and to see if they are sharp enough to use in the AFM.

You can see some defects in the surface and shape of this tip.  I think they may have formed because the etching was too violent and the wire entered the KOH solution at an angle.  

Again you can see odd shape this tip takes.  

Overall I'm really happy with my research.  The tips are forming at about a 50% success rate, with 2/3 of the tips looking fairly usable.  I'll be working with Dr. Cross to test them sometime next week.  

Linear Algebra

My linear mid-term is in 8 hrs.  This looks fine to me...  This test may be a little rough.  0_o

Comic credit: xkcd.com

Edit:   Well, It went okay.  What a relief!  I think I actually did fairly well.  :)

Miami!!

I just got an email from Lauren Post that I may be placed with City Year Miami!  I'm pretty excited about living some place warm!!!  It's month three of our snow apocalypse and I would LOVE being in Miami next time this year. 

Beyond geography and weather, City Year Miami looks like a very strong and active chapter.  They have an informative and active online presence.  You can find some really cool projects for Miami on their blog  They also have a flickr and twitter. 

I'm really excited, and a bit nervous about my up coming interview!  Wish me luck! 

Applications in!!!

 

Applications are all turned in!  I even had a phone interview with City Year on Friday.  I really like there program, and am excited to see were they may want to place me.  

Only one more deadline for Teach For America!  A "research survey" on
Thursday.  Late Thursday they should post if they want to place me in a school.

I finished and submitted my application to the Peace Corps today.  I have to submit a health form soon, and then wait for their evaluation.  Going overseas would be a really fun and ever educational adventure. 

Summer Tour to Italy!

 My final class to finish my undergraduate degree will be a tour in northern Italy!  We will be exploring the area the Waldensians hid from persecution.  The class was designed for architecture students to pick up religion credits.  I'll be taking it for an art credit and spend my days drawing and photographing the countryside.  I probably should start practising!  I need to figure out if I want / can financially tour / backpack around Europe after the class.  It would be amazing to see the degenhardts again.  

We leave on June 4th, flying from O' Hare to Milan.  The tour ends on the 12 but hopefully I'll be able to stay overseas for a bit longer.