X-Ray Fluorescence Workshop

Almost Sold Out: One Spot Remaining!

PennDesign’s Graduate Program in Historic Preservation is offering a one-day workshop in XRF techniques, led by Dr. Alberto de Tagle, Lecturer at Penn’s School of Design, and Dr. Bruce Kaiser, Chief Scientist of Bruker Elemental.

X-Ray Fluorescence is the non-invasive technique of choice for identifying the composition of inorganic materials. There is great potential for applying XRF to study a broad range of situations. It is capable of identifying the atoms defining metals, stone, mortars, plasters, pigments, corrosion products, salts, and more.  The response time is seconds, and XRF has proven excellent for many conservation applications.

As with any instrumental technique, understanding of the physics and the contexts of the methodology is essential to the interpretation of the results. Until the development of portable instruments, samples had to be taken and analyzed in the laboratory, which limited its application to cases where sampling was ethically and technically possible. And time was lost in the process of taking the samples, bringing them to the lab, and waiting for the response.  Portable XRF technology brings speed, accuracy and cost savings. Portable XRF instruments eliminate the need of sampling, because analysis takes place in situ. The high speed of response, accuracy and lack of damage to the materials make it a very desirable technique. 

This workshop will include introductory lectures on XRF and its conservation applications, detailed demonstrations of portable XRF technology from Bruker, and opportunities to carry out hands-on XRF testing of materials (from PennDesign’s collection or from participants). The technical level of the workshop presumes a background in basic conservation science and some field experience in materials testing. 

Costs: free for current PennDesign HSPV students; $100 for PennDesign alumni; $200 for design/conservation professionals. (A simple lunch is included.)  AIA CES credits will be available. Space is limited; please apply for a spot by emailing the following information to pennhspv@design.upenn.edu asap:
• Name
• Current organizational affiliation 
• CV/resume including educational background
• Brief statement (less than 200 words) explaining your interests in XRF techniques