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Prof. Simon P. Ringer

The University of Sydney,

Executive Director & CEO, AMMRF

simon.ringer@emu.usyd.edu.au

Microscopy & Microanalysis:Challenges & Opportunities in eResearch

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Outline

• Science drivers for this Facility: about the AMMRF

• Expertise & Instrumentation

• Structure & Operation

• Anatomy of the User-Experience:challenges & opportunities in eResearch

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Atom ProbeTomography

10 nm

100 μm

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Recent & Future Needs in Microscopy & Microanalysis

Need for aNational

ResearchFacility

www.ammrf.org.au

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Activities - Instrument Usage: FY 05/06

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TheAustralian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility

• Established in 2007 under DEST ‘NCRIS’ program as an unincorporatedjoint venture between universities, PFRA’s, federal & state governments

• New collaborative research infrastructure initiative

• Builds on success of NANO established under the MNRF program

2002–2007 2007–2012

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VISION

The AMMRF will be a user-focussed interdisciplinary organisation willenable the exploration of structure-function relationships in physical,chemical and biological sciences and will operate quality researchservices, research programs and research training. The AMMRF will beaccessible to all Australian researchers and will provide a quality userexperience.

MISSION

The AMMRF will provide Australia’s peak research facility for thecharacterisation of materials through macro, meso, nano and atomiclength scales by means of advanced microscopy & microanalysis.

“

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TheAustralian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility

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Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility

An Unincorporated JointVenture between

Research IntensiveAustralian Universities

[Top 50 Worldwide]

+ AMMRF Linked Laboratories & Linked Centres Program

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ANUANU Characterisation Facility

A/Prof. Tim Senden

SARFSouth Australian RegionalFacility

Prof. Hans Griesser

UNSWElectron Microscope Unit

Prof. Paul Munroe

UQCentre for Microscopy andMicroanalysis

Prof. John Drennan

USydAustralian Key Centre forMicroscopy and Microanalysis

Prof. Simon Ringer

UWACentre for Microscopy,Characterisation and Analysis

Prof. Craig Atkins

Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility

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AMMRF Governance

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AMMRF Governance: The Specialist Committees

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The AMMRF Linked Laboratories

Australian Animal Health Laboratory(AAHL), Geelong

RMIT Microscopy & Microanalysis Facility, Melbourne

Advanced Analytical Centre,James Cook University, Townsville

Maquarie University,Optical Microcharacterisation Facility,Sydney

QUT, Analytical Electron MicroscopyFacility, Brisbane

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The Facilities

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Research: State of the Art Electron Microscopy andAtom Probe Tomography

Transmission Electron Microscopy Atom Probe Tomography

Nanoscience of Advanced Alloys [Design in Light Metals],

New Si-based ICT Devices, Interface Engineering

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Multi-dimensional & multi-length scales

1. XRD

2. Spectral

3. Profiles

4. Analysis

1. SEM

2. TEM

3. LM

4. Scanning

1. Confocal

2. MicroCT

3. TEM

4. SEM/FIB

5. EDS/EELS

6. AtomProbe

1. Time +

– Confocal

– TEM

– MicroCT

– AtomProbe

2. Multi ROI

1D 2D 3D 4D

1. Correlative Image Creation

2. Data Analysis

– Support Vector Machines

– MultiANOVA

– FEM and CFD

5D and Higher

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The User Experience

For merit-based access by publicly fundedresearchers, pricing is:

– $40/hr for flagship instruments;

– Up to $90/hr for other instruments.

Initial ScopingTechnical feasibility and scientific review through a direct or

teleconference meeting

TrainingOne-on-one or short course/workshop style. Full user support

may be provided for short or collaborative projects

Data acquisition and archivingResearcher uses instrumentation with staff support as

required

Analysis and InterpretationFollow up support is available for interpretation and analysis

Communication of resultsResults are disseminated in scientific literature

IdeaResearcher contacts NMMRF either through a web-based

portal or directly through a staff member

User may applyfor TAP funding

1. At least 30% of beamtime will be

available to external users.

2. Fast-track usage possible.

3. International users welcome

4. IP remains the property of the user,

unless another agreement is negotiated.

5. Generally, instruments will be accessible

to industry researchers at commercial

rates.

6. Alternative access arrangements are

through collaboration with publicly

funded researchers.

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The Travel & Access Program (TAP)

An electronic applicationform can be found online

TAP provides funds for instrumenttime and travel and accommodation costs

Grants – typically $2-5k. Provide initialaccess to instruments – springboard to

larger fund opportunities – ARC etc.

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The User Experience: where does eResearch fit in?

1. The Idea 2. Registration

3. New User Meeting

4. Training

5. Data Acquisition and Archiving

6. Data

Visualisation

and Analysis

7. Publication

everywhere

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What are we doing? Telemicroscopy

Perth

Brisbane

Sydney

Adelaide

Melbourne

Darwin

USA

Japan

UQ

AMMRF

ATP

Hobart

UMelb

Canberra

ANU

CSIRO

Backbone

AARNet links

PASSIVETelepresence

ACTIVETelepresence

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1. Internal to Unit

- GB Ethernet [GB switches/routers etc]

- Fast processors [dual processors standard on workstations]

- Plenty of local HD storage [200GB scratch spaces / 1000GB main store]

- Fast drives [SCSI 320] 10,000rpm or 15,000rpm

- Data pipelines [several workstations]

2. External to Unit

- High speed links [GrangeNet]

- Good communications links

Perth

Brisbane

Sydney

Adelaide

Melbourne

Darwin

USA

Japan

UQ

AMMRF

ATP

Hobart

UMelb

Canberra

ANU

CSIRO

What are we doing? Data Transport

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• ARC Special Research Initiative Project

• Collaboration between:

- The University of Queensland eResearch Group

- NANO/AMMRF

- JEOL Australasia, APAC, MAMS

• Primary Objectives: pilot a national, distributed image database

- To develop a pilot Web portal for users to capture and store selectedimage/data/metadata

• Other Objectives: to explore . . .

- Remote instrument and booking systems

- Telemicroscopy services

- Automation (HPC) for image/data processing and annotation tools

What are we doing? GRANI Grid-enabled National Archive of Nanostructural Imagery

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What are we doing?GRANI collaboration with APAC

• Link to the National Data Centre in Canberra• Long term large-scale data storage and backup• Hundreds of TB indexed

30 days

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What are we doing?Collaborative Telemicroscopy Support Services

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Future Challenges:Should we now…

1. Deploy and install middleware across all AMMRF nodes?

2. Extend data/metadata capture to a wider range of instruments?

3. Expand Portal – grid-enabled registry of image processing services?

4. Support future trends in Characterisation:– Higher resolution, high throughput – combinatorial, robotics– Greater simulation/computational modelling– Remote steering of experiments via telepresence– 3D, time series data/video – cameras, sensors– Integration of related data – databases, characterisation techniques– Publication of raw data + methodology

5. Progress materials informatics field in Australia?

We need help to do this!

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But…What aren’t we doing?

UserExperience

1. The Idea 2. Registration

3. New User Meeting

4. Training

5. Data Acquisition and Archiving

6. Data

Visualisation

and Analysis

7. Publication

Key Challenges

eResearch

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eResearch

Enabling the gateway to discovery

• Large & very large (nx10 GB) data sets

• Real space data

• Complex, evolving software platforms for analysis

• Novel scripting required

• These software platforms often represent a barrierfor users (scientists)

• An easy win for eResearch:Support data analysis from selected flagship

instrumentation

Transforming data into information

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eResearch in microscopy & microanalysis:Challenges & Opportunities

• Well supported National Research Facilities are needed for access to awell supported user experience in microscopy & microanalysis

• Large multi-dimensional & multi-scale data generated

• eResearch plays a pervasive role across the user-experience

- User contact & registration

- bookings & metadata

- data archiving

- data visualisation & analysis

• Convergence of scale of experiments and simulation - conduit to HPC

• Data analysis by facility specialists using advanced software in

collaboration with users

• Extend/develop the GRANI pilot project for data archiving via

national data centre

5.16?

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Acknowledgements

Prof. Jane Hunter

The University of QLD

Brendan Mauger

The University of QLD

Dr Allan Jones

Chair, eResearch Committee,AMMRFThe University of Sydney

Prof. John Drennan

Scientific Director, AMMRFThe University of QLD

Dr Peter Hines

The University of Sydney

Vanessa Zeman

The University of Sydney

Uli Eichhorn

The University of Sydney

Ms. Rosie Hicks

COO, AMMRF

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