The Nuclear Materials Group hosted Prof. Harry J. Whitlow from Uppsala University (Sweden) on October 18 at McLaughlin Hall, as part of the Mechanical and Materials Engineering's Distinguished Speakers Series. Dr. Whitlow’s presentation titled "MeV ion microprobes for study of radiation damage" focused on ion beam-based research and its applications of MeV ion microprobes for different aspects of radiation damage studies.
This event was organized by Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) Dr. Yanwen Zhang as part of her research program on Impact of Radiation in Energy and Advanced Technologies. Dr. Zhang highlighted the importance of research into the interactions of charged particles with solids, stating: "Research and applications in this field span a wide range of areas critical to daily life and technological advancement, including ion beam doping, semiconductor device manufacturing, ion beam analysis, space exploration, materials modification, and radiation effects. Dr. Whitlow's talk addressed some of these topics and offered valuable perspectives."
Prof. Harry J. Whitlow and Prof. Yanwen Zhang
The engaging one-hour talk included an intensive Q&A session, allowing faculty, students and research staff the opportunity to delve deeper into shared research interests. Dr. Whitlow noted, “The questions during the presentation and informally afterward demonstrated a strong interest on the topic, particularly as this presentation aligns with the research at the Reactor Materials Testing Laboratory (RMTL). I think the potential to use (and why not to use) MeV ion microprobes were well understood by all the participants."
Members of the Nuclear Materials Group and students from the Department
of Mechanical and Materials Engineering attended the event
Following his talk, Dr. Whitlow toured the RMTL site and explored opportunities for future collaborations. “I was very impressed by the Reactor Materials Testing Laboratory. It is simply world class,” says Dr. Whitlow. “The planned expansions under the CERC program will further enhance its capabilities and will be essential to solving the challenges posed by the new types of power-producing reactors, as well as related issues where extreme material performance is needed. Of course, I would be interested to help by collaborating in the future,” he concluded.
Learn more about Dr. Whitlow’s presentation abstract and speaker profile on the RMTL events page.