[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 136 (Tuesday, September 30, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ELECTRON MICROSCOPY LOCATED AT THE 
                 LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 30, 2003

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to proudly recognize one of the world's 
premier science and research facilities, and an important part of my 
district. Today marks the 20th anniversary of one of our nation's 
premier scientific research centers, the National Center for Electron 
Microscopy (NCEM), a Department of Energy facility located at Lawrence 
Berkeley National Laboratory. Dedicated on September 30, 1983, NCEM's 
service began with the unveiling of the Atomic Resolution Microscope, 
the first instrument in the world capable of showing individual atoms 
in a sample. Since then, the Center has played a key role in supporting 
vital research efforts carried out by hundreds of visiting national and 
international scientists.
  Today, NCEM houses several of the world's most advanced microscopes 
and tools for microcharacterization, such as the One-Angstrom 
Microscope and the Spin Polarized Low-Energy Electron Microscope. The 
wide array of such tools allows scientists to gain a basic scientific 
understanding of new, energy-efficient materials, as well as analyze 
the behavior of materials such as magnets, superconductors, ceramics, 
and high-temperature alloys. Recent research includes atomic-level 
characterization of advanced aluminum alloys, new insights into how 
catalysts work, and mono-atomic resolution of solids that contain light 
elements such as carbon and nitrogen.
  In addition to microscopes, NCEM's Image Analysis Facility is 
designed to handle the computational needs of the Center's users. NCEM 
staff design custom image processing and image simulation software, 
with the goal of extracting structural information from images taken on 
the Center's electron microscopes. NCEM also provides services and 
support for sample preparation.
  To chart the future of electron microscopy, NCEM scientists are 
helping to pioneer the Transmission Electron Aberration-corrected 
Microscope, a next-generation microscope that could offer the 
unprecedented opportunity to directly observe the atomic-scale order, 
electronic structure, and dynamics of individual nanoscale structures. 
With advances like these, NCEM will continue to lead the world in 
electron microscopy research.

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