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Lvem User Profile-Wesley Sanders

Dr. Wesley C. Sanders uses an LVEM 5 microscope in a semester-long undergraduate electron microscopy course at Salt Lake Community College. The course introduces students to scanning electron microscopy in the first half and transmission electron microscopy in the second half. Students learn operation of the microscope through instructional videos and supervised hands-on practice. The instrument has proven robust enough for student use without issues. Dr. Sanders hopes to expand use of the LVEM 5 to image nanomaterials synthesized in the department.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
67 views3 pages

Lvem User Profile-Wesley Sanders

Dr. Wesley C. Sanders uses an LVEM 5 microscope in a semester-long undergraduate electron microscopy course at Salt Lake Community College. The course introduces students to scanning electron microscopy in the first half and transmission electron microscopy in the second half. Students learn operation of the microscope through instructional videos and supervised hands-on practice. The instrument has proven robust enough for student use without issues. Dr. Sanders hopes to expand use of the LVEM 5 to image nanomaterials synthesized in the department.
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LVEM 5 User Profile:

Dr. Wesley C. Sanders

We recently talked with Dr. Wesley C. Sanders, professor in the Engineering Department


at Salt Lake Community College. Dr. Sanders is innovating in higher education by bringing
hands-on experiences using advanced electron microscopy techniques to sophomore level
undergraduate courses, bringing what historically was reserved only graduate level courses to
earlier training opportunities. In this conversation, he shares about his use of the LVEM 5 in this
course to enable hands-on training for the next generation of scientists and engineers. This
interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Hi Dr. Sanders. I’m excited to learn more about you, been working at Salt Lake Community College
and how you’ve used the LVEM 5. To start, can you (SLCC) since 2010. I started out as an instru-
please tell our readers a little bit about yourself? mentation lab coordinator. I became a faculty
My name is Wesley Sanders. I received member in the Engineering Department in 2013.
a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Virginia Tech in 2008. As a faculty member, I’ve published two books,
After receiving my Ph.D., I started working as Basic Principles of Nanotechnology and Atomic
an ASEE Postdoctoral Researcher at the Naval Force Microscopy – Fundamental Concepts and
Research Laboratory in Washington DC. I’ve Laboratory Investigations.

For more information, please contact Delong America on www.lv-em.com or info@lv-em.com 1


I understand you have the LVEM 5, and use it in During the covid pandemic, the microscopy lab tech-
a semester long electron microscopy course. Can you nician trained students remotely using Zoom.
share an overview of the lecture and lab course, and
the inspiration for the course design? How hard is it for the students to learn the technique?
Our electron microscopy course is entitled Students do not have difficulty learning how to
MSE 2330 – Introduction to Scanning Electron use the LVEM 5. Lab videos prepared by our mi-
Microscopy. This course is part of our microscopy croscopy lab technician ahead of time that describe
certification of proficiency program.[1] The first half LVEM 5 operation (especially sample insertion and
of the semester-long course provides a basic overview removal) allow students to review the process prior

The microscopy lab technician, Glen Johnson, provides students with training and supervision.

of the operation of scanning electron microscopy. to conducting the next step. When students watch
Students learn the importance of key parameters used the lab videos, prior to attending the lab, better opera-
in SEM imaging during lecture. During the lab com- tion performances are observed.
ponent students apply knowledge learned in lecture to
actual SEM instrumentation. Energy dispersive X-ray I think many people have a fear around this next
spectroscopy (EDS) is also covered in lecture and question. Have you encountered any issues with
a corresponding lab is performed during the same students accidentally breaking the instrument while
time. The SEM mode of the LVEM 5 is used during learning? Or said differently, how robustly has the in-
the lab component. The second half of the semester is strument help up during the lab course?
devoted to TEM. The lecture component of the course The microscope is very robust. It has held up
addresses the key parameters associated with TEM during student use. Our microscopy lab technician
imaging, in addition to basic TEM operation. In lab, demonstrates use of the microscope prior to stu-
students are guided through the usage of the LVEM 5 dent use, in addition to the lab videos he prepared
operating in TEM mode with our microscopy lab for viewing prior to student use. Heavy emphasis is
technician. placed on the insertion and removal of samples.

How do you use the LVEM 5 in the lab portion of Do you have plans for additional courses utilizing
the course? the LVEM 5?
Prior to the covid pandemic students used Yes. Currently, we are focusing on developing
the LVEM after receiving adequate training from the TEM portion of the electron microscopy course
the microscopy lab technician and under supervision. further. Developments include preparing and imaging

2
a wide variety of nanomaterials synthesized in house References:
(i.e. carbon nanotubes, silver nanoprisms, and quan-
tum dots). [1] https://www.slcc.edu/microscopy/index.aspx

Now for some rapid-fire questions; Sanders WC. Basic principles of nanotechnology. CRC
What advice do you have for someone who would like Press; 2018 Jul 11.
to develop a similar course at their institution?
Reach out to other faculty at different institu- Sanders WC. Atomic Force Microscopy: Fundamental
tions teaching similar courses to get ideas. Concepts and Laboratory Investigations. CRC Press;
2019 Oct 8.
What are your favorite things about the instrument,
now that you’ve owned it for some time?
The LVEM 5 can achieve very large
magnifications. About the author:
Robert I. MacCuspie, Ph.D., has over twenty years of
Where did you decide to place the instrument? experience in nanotechnology and materials character-
The LVEM 5 is located in our microscopy lab ization. Career highlights include leading the team that
(basement floor). developed the silver nanoparticle reference materials
at the National Institute of Standards and Technology,
Is this a shared resource for other researchers at your the first faculty and Director of Nanotechnology and
institution? Multifunctional Materials Program at Florida Polytechnic
The LVEM 5 is available for anyone in the scien- University, and over five years of consulting at the busi-
tific disciplines at our institution to use. ness-science interface from MacCuspie Innovations, help-
ing companies commercialize and educate on technolo-
How many users get trained on the instrument gies to improve human health.
each year?
2–9 users get trained on the LVEM 5 each year.

What is the most exciting moment you’ve had using


the LVEM so far?
Imaging carbon nanotubes.

And finally, do you have any advice you’d like to share


for students considering careers in STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math)?
Stick with it. It will reward you in the end.
STEM fields can open doors. One of the many advan-
tages of a STEM field is the fact that these fields can
be applied over a wide variety of disciplines. A STEM
degree can put you in a good position to secure sta-
ble, essential employment.

That is wonderful advice! Thank you for taking


the time to share your stories about your exciting use
of the LVEM 5, training the next generation of scien-
tists to use this instrument.

For more information, please contact Delong America on www.lv-em.com or info@lv-em.com 3

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