Widespread use of microscopy creates challenges to forming a consensus on critical metadata. Combining microscopy with Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) to aggregate, organize and exchange microscopy data provides fertile ground to facilitate data-sharing within and across multiple organizations. Two new MaRDA Working Groups (Microscopy Metadata and LIMS) have been formed to develop draft recommendations for consideration by the materials community.
The LIMS Working Group, led by Co-chairs Eric A. Stach (University of Pennsylvania) and Joshua A. Taillon (National Institute of Standards and Technology) with additional members, has focused on LIMS as essential components of modern materials research laboratory operations, providing the digital infrastructure to support essential services such as sample tracking, result reporting and research data management.
The Microscopy Metadata Working Group, led by Co-chairs Edward Barnard (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), Maria K. Chan (Argonne National Laboratory), and Mitra L. Taheri (Johns Hopkins University) with additional members, has focused on common metadata requirements for electron microscopy experiments in materials research. A Town Hall will be held at the 2024 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibition on Monday, April 22, 2024, 4:00–6:00 pm, Summit - Seattle Convention Center, Level 3, Room 326, where the Working Groups’ co-chairs and members will review their draft recommendations and gather feedback from the materials community.
All attendees of the 2024 MRS Spring Meeting are invited and encouraged to participate. This session will provide an important two-hour venue for in-person, in-depth discussions about building recommended materials community-driven best practices on Microscopy and LIMS.
This effort is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation FAIROS Program under Grant Nos. 2226417, 2226416.