Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) Analysis Workshop

Thursday and Friday, April 6 and 7, 2017

Registration form • Please register by April 3rd to reserve your seat!

The Research Laboratories of Archaeology in collaboration with Dr. Lindsay Bloch will host a two-part workshop in the use of a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) instrument for doing elemental analysis. This instrument has many potential applications in archaeology, geology, chemistry, and museum conservation. The Thursday afternoon session will cover the theory and practice of pXRF analysis. On Friday, there will be morning and afternoon sessions (registration required, see below) devoted to hands-on activities with the instrument and software. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring samples that can be analyzed with the device to their Friday session.

Please note: On Friday, we will be working with several software programs for data collection and visualization. These programs only run on PCs (not MACs). If you wish to install the software and follow along, please bring a Windows-capable laptop. You may download the software and associated manuals here: XRF Workshop April 2017. We will go through the installation process during the workshop.

Participants also are encouraged to bring their own samples to test. There will be a selection of different materials on hand for demonstration as well. Pre-analyzed sample spectra for training are in the folder “XRF Sample Spectra” in the XRF Workshop April 2017.

Schedule

Open to All
Thursday, April 6, 3:30 – 5:00 pm • Part 1 (theory and practice) – Alumni Building, Room 205

Registration Required*
Friday, April 7, 9:00 – 12:00 pm • Part 2 (hands-on) – Davis Library, Room 247
Friday, April 7, 1:00 – 4:30 pm • Part 2 (hands-on) – Davis Library, Room 247

*Please use the form at the top of the page to register. Completed forms should be emailed to rla@unc.edu.

Resources

Recommended Reading Prior to the Workshop

An Introduction to XRF Analysis in Archaeology (M. Steven Shackley, 2011)

Supplementary Information

XRF Bibliography (Lindsay Bloch, 2017)

Use of Handheld XRF Bruker Tracer III-SD (Lindsay Bloch, 2015)

X-Ray Radiation Safety Operator Training Manual (Bruker)

Contact

For more information, please contact rla@unc.edu.

To advertise this event, please view the workshop flyer.