The installation of an advanced imaging tool, a JEOL Electron Probe
Microanalyzer (EPMA), will expand research and educational
opportunities for students, faculty, and industry in southeastern
North Carolina. In January,
JEOL
completed the installation of its new generation of EPMA, also
known as a microprobe, at the Southeastern North Carolina Regional
Microanalytical and Imaging Center (SENCR-MIC), a state-of-the-art
facility opened in 2009 as a joint collaboration between
Fayetteville State University and the University of North Carolina
at Pembroke.
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The center held a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, January
28, 2010, and the Director of the SENCR-MIC, Dr. Steven Singletary,
couldn't have been more excited for his home state, the
Universities, and his students. "We don't have major funding here
but we went after it for the 'probe and we got it. We hope to give
students the same research opportunities as they would have at MIT
and UCLA," said Singletary, who obtained his Ph.D. in Geochemistry
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology using a JEOL
microprobe. An Assistant Professor of Geology and Chemistry in the
Department of Natural Sciences at Fayetteville State University, he
teaches students in the natural sciences, physics, chemistry,
geology, toxicology, fire science, and forensic science
programs.
The microprobe, as the term implies, enables detailed surface
analysis that reveals a wealth of information about both hard and
soft samples. FSU and UNC Students will have access to this highly
sophisticated electron microscope to advance environmental,
geological, and forensic science research. "We'll be able to use it
to compare paint chips, analyze soil samples, gunshot residue,
micro tool marks - this is an unexplored field because I don't know
of anyone using a microprobe in forensics and I'm hoping it will
bolster graduate studies. We'll develop new techniques and apply
old ones in novel ways."
Singletary sees this new resource as benefiting both future
careers and the future of the region in southeastern North
Carolina. Research at this level is a unique opportunity for
students who typically hold down jobs while attending school and
have responsibilities that would prevent them from obtaining this
type of training away from home. "These students have the
intellectual ability and curiosity to do the work, they just don't
have the opportunity to do the work. By having the 'probe here, we
can do the research here," Singletary said. He and his fellow
faculty members are hopeful that access to this advanced
instrumentation will produce a more highly trained workforce, which
will in turn attract more businesses to the area.
The SENCR-MIC will be a resource for both Fayetteville State
University and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Additionally, local industry and government will have access to the
facility for research. Federal funding for the microprobe came from
the Department of Defense.
Fayetteville State University is one of 17 institutions that
comprise the multi-campus University of North Carolina. Founded in
1867 as the Howard School for the education of African Americans,
FSU has nearly 7,000 students and is among the nation's most
diverse campuses. The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is
an historically American Indian University. Singletary noted that
he obtained his undergraduate degree at UNC Pembroke, and his
mother graduated from Fayetteville State University.
SOURCE