Who we are 

The Materials Microcharacterization Collaboratory or MMC is a partnership between ANL, LBNL, NIST, ORNL, and the University of Illinois to link all of their laboratories through videoconferencing, shared data-viewing, and collaborative analysis. The ultimate goal of the program is to create a virtual laboratory where all sites can interact with one another and share information and expertise. The resulting increase in data exchange and analysis will bring about an improvement in the quality of research at all sites.

Another large component of the MMC is its educational aspect. By putting these resources on the internet, it will allow teachers and students from all educational levels to access the virtual lab. Additionally, with proper security, these people will be able to interact and control electron microscopes themselves, and even perform experiments. This interaction will not only allow them to have a real-life, hands-on experience with major DOE facilities, but it will also serve to expand the general public's interest towards science in general.

Currently, each site explores different aspects of implementing this collaboration. At ORNL we are working to automate expensive, large scale facilities, and to connect them to the internet. Subsequently, we are designing an online interface with two priorities in mind. Our first consideration is that we design an interface that is easy to access and control. For a true collaboratory to exist this must be the case. Our other consideration, though, is equally important. We must be sure that the interface is secure enough so that only those who are authorized to use it may do so. While it is important that access be simple and convenient, steps must be taken to protect the equipment from outside harm, whether intentional or unintentional.
For more information on security aspects of the MMC see http://mmc.cind.ornl.gov/jar/MMCCerts.html
For more general information, you should visit the Main MMC Webpage
To access the MMC live video feeds page, click here 
ORNL's On-line Microscopy Facilities: Web Resource Site Map
Become an MMC video broadcaster!
TEM micrograph of 10nm Pd particles on silica sphere- a model catalyst)
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