On October 29–30, 2025, the NUANCE Center hosted FIB-SEM Across Disciplines: From Cryo to Quantum, a two-day collaborative workshop with Thermo Fisher Scientific and Leica Microsystems that brought together more than 50 attendees from across Northwestern and beyond.
The event explored how focused ion beam–scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) enables cutting-edge discoveries across fields — from cryo-imaging of biological specimens to quantum materials research.
Day one featured expert talks in the morning, followed by live instrument demonstrations in the afternoon, giving participants a chance to see FIB-SEM systems in action and engage directly with specialists from Thermo Fisher Scientific, Leica Microsystems, and NUANCE. Day two offered additional in-depth demo sessions for attendees who wanted more hands-on experience and discussion.
NUANCE extends a warm thank-you to our partners at Thermo Fisher Scientific and Leica Microsystems for their collaboration and expertise — and to all the attendees who made this workshop a success!
NUANCE Director, Prof. Vinayak P. Dravid, welcomes attendees to the workshop.EPIC-FIB Facility Manager, Paul Smeets, gives a introduction to NUANCE's FIB's.Philipp Heck, Senior Director of Research & Curator of Meteorites and Terrestrial Geology, at the Field MuseumAttendees get ready for an exciting hands on demo!More live demos!Big thank you to the entire ThermoFisher, Leica and NUANCE group for making the workshop happen! And a little Halloween fun, courtesy of EPIC-SEM Facility Manager, Tirzah Abbott.
