The Annual Spring Symposium was held on May 6, 2011 for the 28th time at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. This year the NESM Board tried a different format from past years with one full day of talks.
The meeting started at 9AM with registration and refreshments. Talks began with several diverse topics from medicine to diamonds. Dr. Alex Woollard spoke of his research on examining re-innervation within the muscles affecting facial palsy. Dr. Woollard is an English trained M.D. now visiting Dr. Jeff Lichtman’s lab at Harvard. Next, we heard from Dr. Tanya Smith, also from Harvard, about her work with synchrotron X-ray microtomographic studies of dental structures in human and primate fossils. These studies have begun to resolve some debates over developmental differences between Neanderthals and humans. Dr. James Weaver of Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard presented work on Biodiversity and biomimetics using a new type of SEM. Using a technique called wide-field SEM, samples such as rodent skulls were imaged with a field of view greater than 10 cm. Dr. Weaver also presented various images in 3D using red/green anaglyphs and 3D glasses. Quite eye opening!
Time was allotted for NESM vendors to present their products and services. NESM members displayed several research posters. It was an ideal time to discuss science with the poster presenters and to discuss the equipment necessary to carry out this research with our valued vendors.
NESM continued to display our breadth of interests with an X-ray microtomography talk by Dr. Eric Maire of the Universite de Lyon in France. Dr. Maire provided examples of in situ experiments using X-ray computed microtomography of materials. Dr. David Glenn of Harvard then presented research on developing nanometer-sized diamonds as cathodoluminescent markers for use in the SEM. The talks concluded with Nicholas Antoniou speaking on TEM sample preparation using FIB techniques. Using a SEM with integrated FIB column Nicholas showed a new and very fast process for the preparation of TEM samples that was developed at the Center for Nanoscale Systems of Harvard.
After the meeting several attendees concluded the day with a nice dinner in Woods Hole. All in all it was an inspiring day of the joy of science.
Louie Kerr
Biological Sciences Director
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