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On-site teaching with XRF and XRD: training the next generation of analytical X-ray professionals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 October 2014

Damian B. Gore ,
Mark P. Taylor ,
R. Gary Pritchard  and
Kirstie A. Fryirs
Damian B. Gore*
Affiliation:
Department of Environment and Geography, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
Mark P. Taylor
Affiliation:
Department of Environment and Geography, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
R. Gary Pritchard
Affiliation:
Gary Pritchard Consulting, Abels Bay, Tasmania 7112, Australia
Kirstie A. Fryirs
Affiliation:
Department of Environment and Geography, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
*
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: damian.gore@mq.edu.au
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Abstract

There is a growing need for environmental scientists, geoscientists, and analysts skilled in the use of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and X-ray diffractometry. The challenge for educators is how to inspire, teach, and make the next generation of professional X-ray users and analysts ready for employment. In this paper, we present vignettes from teaching applications of X-ray analytical techniques at three scaffolded levels, from senior high school students, undergraduate science students, to postgraduate researchers. At each of these levels the pedagogical complexity increases, from simple data use at high school, to observing how data are generated and being able to constrain analytical uncertainty at the undergraduate level, to generating high-quality data at the postgraduate level. In all cases, transportable equipment is used in on-site analytical programs to inform the experimental design, level of sampling required, and research outcomes.

Keywords

XRFXRDpedagogystudentsfieldwork
Type
Technical Articles
Information
Powder Diffraction , Volume 29 , Issue S1 , December 2014 , pp. S8 - S14
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Copyright
Copyright © International Centre for Diffraction Data 2014 

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