AFM Training

AFM training

We organise trainings to make new users sufficiently familiar with an AFM to safely characterise surfaces on one or more of our AFMs. These trainings are meant for potential users who have not (yet) acquired sufficient skills to independently work on the Veeco Dimension 3100, the Veeco Multimode IV or the JPK Nanowizard, and make part of a research group at University College London or Imperial College.

The next training will start Monday 10 November 2008. The programme is outlined below.

Costs are £250 per person, which includes several self-training sessions on our microscopes. Please send an email, indicating your application, to reserve a place on this training and send a signed Interdepartmental Transfer Form (UCL) or Procurement Order (IC) to Bart Hoogenboom.

Programme of training 10 November - 21 November 2008

Monday 10 November
Location: Room E7 in the Department of Physics and Astronomy (ground floor), UCL
09:00 - 09:30    Welcome with coffee
09:30 - 10:15    Introduction to AFM (Bart Hoogenboom, LCN)
10:30 - 11:15    AFM applications (Ian Armstrong, Veeco Instruments)
11:15 - 12:00    From proteins to polymers, AFM application in life sciences (Drew Murray, JPK)

13:30 - 14:15    Setting up an AFM experiment (Laurent Bozec, Eastman Dental Institute and LCN)
14:30 - 15:15    What can go wrong and other practical issues (Bart Hoogenboom, LCN)
15:30 - 17:00    Presentation of the AFM laboratories at the LCN

Tuesday 11 November
Location: London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL site, laboratories B202 / B102 / B106
09:00 - 09:15    Meeting at the reception of the LCN, 17-19 Gordon Street
09:15 - 12:00    Lab demonstration on the use of an AFM
                            Participants will be distributed over 1 Veeco Dimension 3100, 1 Veeco Multimode IV and 1-2 JPK Nanowizards

13:30 - 17:00 Lab training on the use of the AFM: Participants will start using the AFM, under guidance of demonstrators
Participants are encouraged to bring their own samples

Wednesday 12 November till Friday 22 November
Location: London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL site, laboratories B202 / B102 / B106
Participants can book the microscopes for testing and developing their skills alone or in pairs ("self-training", during office hours: 09:00 - 17:00); demonstrators are available to answer any questions, provide further explanations etc.

Thursday 13 November
Location: London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL site, 5th floor
11:00 - 12:00 Health and safety training for the LCN (for those participants who have not done it yet).

Tuesday 18 November
Location: London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL site, laboratories B202 / B102 / B106
13:30 - 17:00 Lab training like 11 November, with a focus on issues/problems that have come up during the self-training sessions (as far as they have not already been responded to earlier).

Friday 21 November
Location: London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL site, laboratories B202 / B102 / B106
09:00- 17:00 Ability check on the AFM. If successful, the participant will gain general access rights to the AFM. The ability check can also be arranged individually with the lab demonstrator.

Programme of previous training (21 April - 9 May 2008)

For locations see: www.ucl.ac.uk/about-ucl/location/maps

Monday 21 April
09 am - 12 am Room E7 in the Department of Physics and Astronomy (ground floor), UCL
                        Introduction and (informal) lecture on the principles of AFM operation
01 pm - 05 pm   Lab B202 / B102 / B106, LCN
                        Lab demonstration on the use of the AFM
                        Participants will be distributed over 1 Veeco Dimension 3100, 1 Veeco Multimode IV and 2 JPK Nanowizards

Tuesday 22 April
09 am - 05 pm   Lab B202 / B102 / B106, LCN
                        Lab training on the use of the AFM: Participants will start using the AFM, under guidance of demonstrators
                      Participants are encouraged to bring their own samples

Wednesday 23 April till Thursday 8 May (flexible hours)
09 am - 6pm      Opportunity for self-training on the AFM; demonstrators can be contacted for questions or problem solving

Friday 9 May
09 am - 5pm     Lab B202 / B102 / B106, LCN
                        Ability check on the AFM. If successful, the participant will gain general access rights to the AFM

Subscription

Applicants should suscribe for the training before Monday 7 April by email, mentioning the responsible Principal Investigator and briefly (max. 200 words) describing the type AFM usage - sample, environment - foreseen in the near future. If known, also specify the AFM (Dimension, Multimode, Nanowizard) preferred for this usage. Let us know as soon as possible if you need to follow a safety training to obtain LCN access rights. The training will be full time on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 April and will have flexible hours afterwards, allowing trainees to book the AFMs for additional training sessions. In case of oversubscription, participants will be selected according to the proposed usage and giving priority to LCN members. Further information will be provided by email and published on this web-site.