The Nanoscale Imaging, Spectroscopy, and Properties (NISP) Laboratory was founded in 2005 with the construction of the Kim Engineering Building and the creation of the Maryland NanoCenter. It evolved from the Microscopy and Microanalysis Center (MMC) in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland. The MMC provides training of new users on analytical and structural characterization techniques using transmission and/or scanning electron microscopy.

The NISP lab has developed into a collaborative effort by multiple departments in the colleges of Engineering; Computer, Mathematics and Physical Sciences; and Chemical and Life Sciences at the University of Maryland. The laboratory provides service and training in the areas of structural and compositional characterization of materials using electron microscopy to students and faculty of the University of Maryland and universities in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area including DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland. Today, the NISPLab is operated as a shared experimental facility by the Maryland NanoCenter and the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC).

Imaging with an Electron Microscope

An electron microscope uses high energy electrons as a source for imaging. An electron microscope uses electromagnetic lenses to converge the electron beam on a sample and to magnify the image.