Fourteen attendees and three instructors from around the world have gathered on campus for the Short Course in Modern X-ray Spectrometry Theory offered by the Hamilton Analysis (XRF) Lab this week. Participants from Chile, Norway, and Denmark have joined those from the United States along with instructors from South Africa and Canada to study the theory of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis and the set-up and operation of XRF instruments.
The majority of the students work in a range of industries including printing, aluminum smelting, and mining services and transportation department laboratories. Two come from academe, one engaged in geochemical research on volcanic rocks in west Texas and another in art conservation work at Yale University. The South African instructor is a member of the faculty at the University of Pretoria in art conservation.
Several of the students are employed by the makers of XRF instruments. The companies use this course as a means to provide some basic training for their employees.
This course is being held for the second year at Hamilton; from 1980 to 2017 it was held yearly at the University of Western Ontario. The current instructors have been teaching the course for 15 years. XRF Sr. Laboratory Technician Richard Conrey and Laureen Wagoner, XRF Laboratory Technician, conduct several demonstrations for the class using the College’s XRF spectrometer and sample preparation equipment in the lab.
