The James Franck Institute houses a number of Shared Research Facilities providing crucial support for evolving scientific and technical needs. Interactions that take place within these facilities often lead to collaborative efforts between different research groups.
AI+Quantitative Imaging Facility
Faculty Supervisor: Aaron Dinner
Technical Staff: Liya Ding
The AI+ Quantitative Imaging Shared Facility aims to advance microscopy image processing and analysis through the development and application of computer vision, AI, and deep learning techniques. This initiative is a collaborative effort between the Data Science Institute (DSI) and the Center for Living Systems (CLS) at the University of Chicago.
Materials Preparation & Measurement Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Heinrich Jaeger
Technical Staff: Justin Jureller, Sarah Brown, Krysten Villalon
The Materials Preparation and Measurement Laboratory (MPML) provides facilities for preparation, fabrication, processing, and characterization of many types of samples. Instrumentation includes scanning probe microscopes (AFM and STM), scanning electron microscopes (SEM), 3D optical imaging, sample preparation, surface coating, thermal characterization, optical characterization via steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence, absorbance, reflectance, Raman, and light scattering.
The MPML is open to all interested internal academic, external academic, and industrial users. A key aspect of the lab is extensive one-on-one training with experienced PhD-level staff.
JFI Student Machine Shop
Faculty Supervisor: Andrew Higginbotham
Manager: Luigi Mazzenga
Our fully equipped student machine shop plays a vital role in training students, and postdocs in the basics of machining and fabrication, and gives researchers the flexibility to design and produce machined parts and research prototypes. Equipment includes several Bridgeport mills, Hardinge lathes, a CAD workstation, and a welding station. The shop has been tremendously successful due to exceptionally qualified staff available for consultation and training. A Tormach PCNC milling machine and a Protomax personal waterjet were recently added.All students must complete training before working in the shop. To schedule training, please reach out to Luigi Mazzenga. Supervised hours: Wednesday and Thursday 9am to 2pm.
High Speed Imaging Facility
Faculty Supervisor: Sidney Nagel
This mobile facility maintains a portable suite of high-speed digital video cameras with complementary capabilities. Some cameras are capable of imaging at 1,000,000 frames per second. The cameras may be signed out for use in indivdual laboratories.
Rheometry Facility
Faculty Supervisor: Heinrich Jaeger
We established this facility to characterize the stress/strain relationships and other rheological properties of complex fluids. The facility maintains an Anton Paar MCR 301 rheometer with fully automated measurement capabilities in both stress and sheer rate control modes. Tools for parallel plate, cone, as well as Couette measurement geometries are available. The sample stage is temperature-stabilized and a solvent trap is available. The system also has capabilities for applying electric fields (up to 5kV) and magnetic fields (up to 1 T) to characterize electro-and magneto-rheological fluids.
3D Flowvision Facility
Faculty Supervisor: William Irvine
This facility creates the capability of measuring 3D velocity vectors and flow fields in fluids and granular gases at state-of-the art resolutions both in time (100μs) and space (50μm). Tools include an LaVision flow acquisition system with variable-rate pulsed laser or LED source and four synchronized high-resolution high-speed cameras (Vison Research VEO640S). Flow reconstruction algorithms include 3D tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry and the Particle Tracking Velocimetry “Shake-the-Box” Lagrangian method to achieving highly accurate tracking at fast processing speeds.
Fast X-Ray Imaging Facility
Faculty Supervisor: Heinrich Jaeger
In response to the need for x-ray imaging and tomography capabilities at our we have developed a new mobile facility centered around a C-arm x-ray system. The heart of this facility is a state-of-the-art OrthoScan HD mini C-arm that uses a flat panel x-ray detector to allow for video rate imaging. The resolution is 2,000 x 1,500 pixels and the field of view can be as large as 6”x5”. The C-arm configuration means that source and detector are mounted at the ends of a c-shaped brace that can be rotated manually in two orthogonal directions as well as translated in xyz. This makes it possible to bring the unit where needed and to image components without removing them, as long as the C-arm will fit around the piece to be x-rayed (max. gap between source and detector 14”). The unit is fully computer controlled and allows for a variety of different imaging modalities. A special feature of this facility is an add-on we developed, which uses a computer controlled stepper system to rotate samples up to 6” tall and 3” wide at the center of the C-arm in order to perform tomographic imaging.