Student intern helps develop automated microscope workflow to tackle real-world pollution challenges
Finding particles of interest in an air pollution particulate matter sample can be harder than finding a needle in a haystack. It’s a time-consuming process that requires scientists to manually locate and scan thousands of microscopic particles across a large sample area, often taking several days. But this work is essential; fine particulate matter found in air pollution has been linked to an estimated 7 million premature deaths worldwide each year. Understanding these particles at the nanoscale is essential to learning more about the role that they play in human health.
To help make this important research move more quickly and efficiently, a research team led by scientists at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, has developed a tool called X-AutoMap. This software enables an X-ray microscope to automatically locate and analyze particles of interest, significantly accelerating the process while improving precision. X-AutoMap’s capabilities help researchers gain a better understanding of how different elements are distributed within individual particles at the nanoscale, offering new insights into how air pollution affects an environment and the people living in it.
Read more on the BNL website
Image: Carlos DeLeon (front), a student assistant at the National Synchrotron Light Source II, investigates areas of interest in a particulate matter sample at the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe beamline with beamline scientist Ajith Pattammattel.
Credit: Timothy Kuhn/Brookhaven National Laboratory