The 52nd Annual Denver X-ray Conference (DXC) was held
in Denver, Colorado at the Denver Marriott Tech Center. The conference ran from
4-8 August, attracting 300 registered attendees and over 200 exhibit personnel.
Most of the attendees present were long-time supporters of the conference,
however, approximately 10% of the attendees were first-time participants. Victor
Buhrke, Chairman of the Denver X-ray Conference, Portola Valley, CA, welcomed
the new attendees to the conference during a brief orientation on Tuesday
evening. Dr. Buhrke received feedback regarding their general background and
major interests. The orientation was so successful, that it will now become a
standard component of the conference program.
Conference week began with 16 tutorial workshops, held
on Monday and Tuesday. Instructors from all over the world gathered together to
share their wisdom and skills. Topics included: Technical Communication, Optics,
Rietveld Applications, Specimen Preparation - XRF, Alignment & Standards,
Working Close to Detection Limits - XRF, Two-Dimensional XRD, Backscatter
Electron Diffraction, Fundamentals of XRF, Quantitative Analysis, High
Resolution - XRD and Basic TXRF.
Seventeen special sessions filled the remaining two and
a half days of the conference, and were organized by many of the top minds in
the field of X-ray analysis. Subjects included: New Developments in XRD &
XRF Instrumentation, Rietveld Applications, High Resolution - XRD, Synchrotron
Applications - XRF, Detectors & Sources, Synchrotron Applications XRD &
Scattering, Stress Analysis, TXRF, X-ray Optics, Industrial Applications XRD,
Quantitative XRF, Cement Analysis, Software, Pharmaceuticals, Catalysis and
Problem Solving/Industrial Applications - XRF.
The Plenary Session, "X-ray Studies of Art
& Archaeological Objects", was organized by Dr. Michael Mantler, of
the Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria. Attendees were intrigued
by the four invited talks on the use of X-rays in the fascinating world of art
and archaeology. Koen Janssens, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium, gave a
talk on "Use of Conventional and Synchrotron X-ray Micro Beams for
Non-Destructive Characterization of Archaeological and Artists Materials".
Manfred R. Schreiner, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, Austria spoke of
"X-rays in Art and Archaeology - History, Present State and
Perspectives". M.C. Corbeil, Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa,
Canada, gave a presentation on "Applications of X-ray Diffraction in
Conservation Science and Archaeometry", and Philip J. Potts, The Open
University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, wrapped up the session with his talk
on "Portable X-ray Fluorescence Analysis of Neolithic Stone Axes - Opening
a Window on Prehistory". All four lecturers gave exceptional presentations,
and conveyed a great deal of knowledge and expertise to the extremely satisfied
attendees.
An awards presentation also took place during the
Plenary Session to honor a variety of important contributions to the field of
materials analysis. The 2003 Barrett Award was presented to Hugo M. Rietveld,
Alkmaar, The Netherlands, founder of the world famous Rietveld Method. Rietveld
Analysis has been a popular topic at the DXC as both a session and a workshop,
and the Organizing Committee considered Dr. Rietveld's presence at the
conference to be a great honor. John V. Gilfrich, Emeritus, SFA, Inc./NRL,
Bethesda, MD was awarded the 2003 Jenkins Award, named after his good friend
and colleague, Dr. Ron Jenkins. John received the prestigious tribute for his
lifetime achievements in the advancement of the use of X-rays for material
analysis. The 2003 Jerome B. Cohen Student Award was presented to Yukio
Takahashi, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. Yukio received the award for a
paper that he submitted, "Development and Application of Laboratory X-ray
Fluorescence Holography Equipment". The award winning paper was presented
during the XRF Poster Session. Frank McClune, International Centre for
Diffraction Data (ICDD), Newtown Square, PA was the proud recipient of the 2003
Distinguished Fellows Award. The award was presented to Frank for his long
and meritorious service to the ICDD.
Poster sessions were held on Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday evening of conference week. Judges were appointed each night to select
the best posters. The following posters were selected as the best:
"Minimization of Errors Due to Microabsorption or Absorption
Contrast", B.M. Pederson, R.S. Winburn, Minot State University, Minot, ND;
"X-ray Micro-Diffraction Study of the Half-V Shaped Switching Ferroelectric
Liquid Crystal", K. Takada, T. Noma, T. Togano, T. Mukaide, Canon Research
Center, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan, A. Iida, Institute of Materials Structure
Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; "Carbon-Nanotube Field Emission X-ray
Tube for Space Exploration XRD/XRF Instrument", P. Sarrazin, D. Blake, L.
Delzeit, M. Meyyappan, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, B. Boyer,
S. Snyder, X-ray Technologies, Inc., Scotts Valley, CA, B. Espinosa, Microwave
Power Technology, Campbell, CA; "Identification of Hot Particles in the
Environment using Single Particle X-ray Emission and Absorption Analysis",
S. Török, J. Osán, B. Alfödy, KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute,
Budapest, Hungary, L. Vincze, KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute and
University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium, M. Betti, Institute for Transuranium
Elements, Karlsruhe, Germany, C.A. Pérez, Laboratório Nacional de Luz
Síncrotron, Campinas, Brazil, G. Falkenberg, HASYLAB at Desy, Hamburg, Germany;
"Elemental Correlations and Phase Identification using X-ray Fluorescence
and Automated Spectral Image Analysis Software", G.J. Havrilla, T. Miller,
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, M. Keenan, P. Kotula, Sandia
National Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM; "Analysis of Art Objects and Other
Delicate Samples: Is XRF Really Non-Destructive?", M. Mantler, Vienna
University of Technology, Vienna, Austria.
Exhibits at the conference ran from Monday to Thursday
where 41 companies displayed their various products and services for X-ray
powder diffraction and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The following companies
participated at the exhibits: AMPTEK, Inc.; ATPS, Inc.; Bede Scientific
Incorporated; Blake Industries, Inc.; Bruker AXS, Inc.; Chemplex Industries,
Inc.; Corporation Scientifique Claisse, Inc.; Del Power Conversion Group; EDAX,
Inc.; F.A.I.R. Corp. (Fusion & Analytical Instrument Resources)/Spectrum
Plus; GBC Scientific Equipment Pty Ltd.; Gresham Scientific Instruments LTD;
Handley Analytical Services; Herzog Automation Corporation; Inel, Inc.;
Initiative Scientific Products Australia Pty Ltd; Innov-x Systems, Inc.;
International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD); Jordan Valley; Kratos
Analytical, Inc.; Materials Data, Inc. (MDI); MOXTEK, Inc.; Osmic, Inc.; Oxford
Cryosystems; Oxford Instruments; PANalytical (formerly Philips Analytical);
Rigaku/MSC, Inc.; Rocklabs Ltd.; Soft Imaging System Corp.; Spectro Analytical
Instruments, Inc.; SPEX CertiPrep, Inc.; Technical Associates; Thales Components
Corporation; Thermo ARL; Thermo Electron Corporation; Varian X-ray Products;
Wiley; Xenocs; X-ray & Specialty Instruments, Inc.; X-ray Instrumentation
Associates; X-ray Optical Systems, Inc. For contact information, a description
of products and services, and a direct link to each exhibitor's website, please
visit the Denver X-ray Conference web page: www.dxcicdd.com.
Fortunately, conference week was not all work and no
play. Attendees and their families enjoyed vendor-sponsored socials Sunday
through Wednesday evening. Not only was there plenty of food and drink for
everyone's delight, but the socials were also held in conjunction with the
poster sessions. Attendees had the opportunity to sip their drinks and peruse
the various presentations, speaking one-on-one with the lead authors. Combining
science and socialization, the evening socials were a huge success. A special
thank you goes out to the vendors who sponsored evening receptions: Bede
Scientific, Bruker AXS, Corporation Scientifique Claisse, Materials Data, Inc.,
PANalytical, Rigaku/MSC and SPEX CertiPrep.
For more
information please contact Denise Flaherty - flaherty@icdd.com
