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Questions?
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Have questions about electron microprobe analysis? Want to know more about our facility? Send us an e-mail or visit our Contact Us page.
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How can I use the microprobe? Is there training?
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Most new users either enroll in Geo 5353 or receive individual instruction from either the lab manager or a lab assistant. Please note that, for individual instruction, normal user fees apply. After a new user has shown his or her ability to work without assistance, the lab manager will "certify" him or her to work during evenings and weekends. Please feel free to contact the lab manager with any questions or concerns about training to use our microprobe.
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I am not from the University of Minnesota. Can I use the microprobe?
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Of course! We welcome new users from outside the University of Minnesota. External users can be trained to use the microprobe or can have their analytical work done for them by facility personnel. Users have come from colleges and universities throughout Minnesota as well as Wisconsin and Iowa.
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I do not want to run the microprobe myself. Will you do it for me?
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Yes, you can either send us your specimens or watch while we conduct the analyses -- it is up to you!
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How and when do I pay for microprobe use? Do you accept cookies?
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We do enjoy cookies and strongly encourage all users to bring us cookies, but the University does not allow us to take cookies as payment. For internal users, the fees are simply charged directly to your CUFS budget number. For external users, after a few weeks, you will receive a bill in the mail, which should be paid by check please. It is also possible for users to pre-pay for time -- we often do this when grant money will shortly turn back into pumpkins. Note: We actually are not making up the part about cookies -- someone actually asked us this once.
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I am an educator and would like images/data for my class. Can you help?
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As stated in our mission, our goals as a lab include teaching as well as outreach and public service. We recognize that teachers and professors ordinarily do not have funds to develop a new course or improve an existing one -- probe fees are out of the question. Please contact us about your needs. We will see if our "stock" images (like those in our gallery here) has what you need or if we can work with you to fulfill what you would like to do for your class.
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Can you talk about electron microprobes to my class/company/school?
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Sure -- our mission as a lab includes outreach and public service. Our course on electron microprobe theory and practice uses PowerPoint presentations, and we could be happy to bring this material to schools, classes, or companies. Please feel free to ask if we are available for a talk at a time that fits your schedule.
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Can you give a tour of the microprobe lab to my class/company/students?
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It depends on the schedule and the number of students. As mentioned already, we are interested in outreach and public service, so our lab has given tours to high-school students interested in science, archaeology grad students interested in stone tool analysis, and many others. Also, companies that we serve have been interesting in visiting our lab. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in a tour, and we will let you know if it is feasible.
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What form does the data take? Is it a hard copy or a file?
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Quantitative data can be exported as a tab-delineated text file that can be opened in Excel, SPSS, or any other spreadsheet program. Also, maps can be screen-captured or exported as raw data, which can, in turn, be imported to NIH Image or Scion Image. All data can be printed, e-mailed, or saved to USB flash drive.
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Do you have the standards that I need for my analyses?
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It depends -- what do you want to analyze? Tell us what you would like to do, and we will see what standards we have that suite your needs. Also, we are usually working on new standards, so our collection is constantly growing.
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Do I have to acknowledge the lab in my publications?
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Yes! Acceptance of academic user rates also means that the user accepts the lab's policy on acknowledgement in and notification of publication, which is described here -- please familiarize yourself with this policy.
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Can you recommend any books to read about electron microprobe analysis?
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Yes -- check out our book recommendations if you would like to learn more.
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Is there a listserver for users of JEOL electron microprobes?
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Yes, our lab runs the Probe User Listserver -- it is JEOL-focused, but everyone is welcome. Sign up today!
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I do not know what the acronym ____ means. Can you help?
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Yes, we can probably help -- consult our list of common electron microscopy and analysis acronyms here.
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Do you analyze or classify meteorites?
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We have analyzed both actual meteorites and so-called "meteor-wrongs" (that is, rocks, pieces of slag, etc thought to be meteorites but really are not). Many of these samples were brought to the department by Minnesotans curious about an odd rock they found. Others have been genuine meteorites under study by University researchers. Meteorites are often studied using electron microprobe analysis, and we are qualified to do that work.
Our lab personnel are not certified to officially identify or classify meteorites. Instead, the Department of Geology and Geophysics is certified to do such idenfications and has formed an official Meteorite Committee composed of qualified professors. This means lab personnel cannot officially declare something a meteorite. We are happy to do the chemical or mineralogical analyses on suspected meteorites, and we are well qualified to do such analyses. However, we pass along the data either to our Meteorite Committee for interpretation or to the client for classification by their own experts. Any interpretations by outside individuals are beyond our control.
If someone claims that our lab personnel have officially identified or classified a sample as a meteorite, that is incorrect. If you encounter such claims somewhere, you are encouraged to tell us about it. Also if you have questions about how data from our lab are being used (for example, if someone claims in an eBay auction that the University of Minnesota Electron Microprobe Lab analyzed their "meteorites"), please feel free to contact us (before you place a bid).
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I am out-of-town. Are they any good hotels nearby?
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There are numerous hotels near the University; the five closest to campus are:
Radisson Metrodome
615 Washington Avenue SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 800-333-3333 or 612-379-8888
http://www.radisson.com/
Distance to lab: about 0.5 miles
Walking time is about 5 to 10 minutes; hotel shuttle service and Metro Transit buses are available.
Best Western
2600 University Avenue SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 800-350-0020 or 612-379-2313
http://www.bestwestern.com/
Distance to lab: about 0.8 miles
Walking time is about 10 to 15 minutes; the use of Metro Transit buses is also available.
Econo Lodge
2500 University Avenue SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 800-553-2666 or 612-331-6000
http://www.econolodge.com/
Distance to lab: about 0.8 miles
Walking time is about 10 to 15 minutes; the use of Metro Transit buses is also available.
Days Inn University
2407 University Avenue SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 800-3750-3990 or 612-623-9303
http://www.daysinn.com/
Distance to lab: about 0.8 miles
Walking time is about 10 to 15 minutes; the use of Metro Transit buses is also available.
Holiday Inn Metrodome
1500 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Phone: 800-448-3663 or 612-333-4646
http://www.metrodome.com/
Distance to lab: about 1.2 miles
Walking time is about 20 to 25 minutes; University shuttle buses (the Washington Avenue Bridge Circulator), Metro Transit buses, and complimentary hotel shuttle service are available.
A search at Yahoo or a hotel wesite will also reveal numerous hotels in nearby downtown Minneapolis (which shares several bus routes with the University) and in other convenient locations.
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Content published on this Web Site is copyright the University of Minnesota Regents, the Electron Microprobe Laboratory, and/or the laboratory's users. Some content (particularly analyses and images of specimens) represents the intellectual property of laboratory users. Reproduction or distribution without permission is prohibited. Site content is available for educational and informational uses only, provided that the content is unmodified and that permission is granted by the author and/or the laboratory manager.
Geoarchaeology
Archaeological Geology
Geoarchaeology
Archaeological Geology
Obsidian Provenancing
Obsidian Sourcing
Obsidian Sourcing
Obsidian Provenancing
Electron Microprobe Analysis in Archaeology
Electron Probe Microanalysis in Archaeology
Electron Microprobe Analysis in Archaeology
Electron Probe Microanalysis in Archaeology
Petroarchaeology
Petrography in Archaeology
Petroarchaeology
Petrography in Archaeology
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