South Dakota Mines is installing a new Scanning Electron
Microscope (SEM) in the university’s Engineering
and Mining Experiment Station (EMES)
thanks to a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The new microscope
is just one of many state-of-the-art scientific instruments inside the recently
expanded EMES which serves high-tech industry alongside university researchers
across the state.
The
powerful SEM microscope is a centerpiece of the EMES. It allows
researchers to perform high resolution imaging, chemical analysis and sample manipulation
for various materials at scales ranging down to 100,000 times smaller than the width
of a human hair. The new microscope is a critical resource for a wide
variety of research across multiple disciplines.
“The
SEM is the most heavily used research instrument on campus,” says Grant Crawford,
Ph.D., the director of the Arbegast Materials Processing and
Joining Laboratory at
Mines and an associate professor in the Department
of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering.
The
new SEM is equipped with a focused ion beam that dramatically expands its
capability over the old system. The ion beam allows researchers to extract
samples for separate analysis and create a cross section of an object’s surface.
The ion beam also permits high resolution 3D imaging or compositional mapping.
Furthermore, it allows researchers to manipulate or carve the surface of an
object at astonishingly small scales. “It essentially allows you to do
sub-micron scale machining which can be used to produce small scale electrical
and mechanical devices or to perform advanced analyses,” says Crawford.
The
upgraded SEM supports research in nanomaterials, biomaterials, functional
materials, advanced metals processing, solid-state batteries, plant science, biofilms,
advanced coatings/thin films, anti-counterfeiting technology, geoscience and
energy resources. More than 35 faculty from South Dakota Mines, South Dakota
State University and the University of South Dakota, alongside students and
researchers at Black Hills State University, Oglala Lakota College and Sinte
Gleska University are expected to use the system for research and educational
activities.
“This
new system provides an opportunity to expand university research across the
state,” says Ed Duke, Ph.D., EMES director and a professor in the Department of Geology and Geological
Engineering.
Besides
research, the new SEM is also a critical component of ongoing STEM education at
Mines. The SEM enhances the university’s ability to competitively recruit
talented faculty and students from underrepresented groups by keeping the
university on par with resources at other top-tier research instructions. The
SEM is integrated into 11 graduate and undergraduate courses, impacting 290
students on an annual basis.
Besides
the new SEM, the EMES facility also includes a new x-ray diffraction system
thanks to a South Dakota Board of Regents grant totaling $186,471. The instrument
allows researchers to determine the atomic and molecular structure of a
material. The new SEM and x-ray diffraction equipment
are part of investments in EMES totaling more than $2.8 million since 2011 on
the part the Board of Regents and the National Science Foundation. The EMES website lists the wide array of scientific equipment available
for academic research and industry use.
The EMES was founded on the Mines campus in 1903 with a mission to serve the mining industry research. Today the mission has expanded to include a much broader range of academic and industry needs. In the last 10 years, the EMES has conducted about $549,000 in commercial lab services for industry clients. The instruments maintained in the EMES boost regional economic development by supporting tech-based enterprises from small start-up companies to well-established businesses.
In the future, the EMES is expected to play an increasing role in the expanding high-tech industry in the Black Hills. The effort to build a new Mineral Industries building on campus to properly house the cutting-edge equipment in EMES is a critical part of the university’s mission to support regional economic development.