Previous Short Courses
May 2009
The May 2009 Short Course was held during the week of May 4th - 8th, and included attendees from as close by as Buffalo and as far away as Sweden. The course was a lot of fun, and it was nice to finally be able to put faces to names after swapping emails over the last few months. Thanks to all of those who attended. It was a lot of fun meeting and speaking with you all and having you as our guests. Also, thanks to all of the PMI employees who went above and beyond during the week to help make the course a success.
Click here or on the thumbnail above to view pictures from the course.
October 2008 Recap
Our Fall 2008 Short Course was held during the week of October 13th-17th. The course ran 3 days, and covered a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, pore structure, liquid extrusion techniques, test demonstrations, hands-on experience in our lab, and much more. Each day was finished off with a dinner at one of our fine local restaurants, and sight-seeing tours were available on Monday and Friday of the week. Each attendees was able to have their own samples tested, as well as get a chance to meet with our engineers to discuss their specific needs.
See some candid photos of the attendees and the PMI staff during different events during the week.
May 2008
During the week of May 12 - 16, 2008, participants from a wide variety of industries and various states and countries visited Ithaca for our annual Spring Short Course. During the course, the attendees were able to see presentations on pore characterization, get some hands-on experience in our labs, meet with our technicians to discuss their samples, and see some of the beautiful scenery we have here in the area. The attendees were left each night with both a full mind and a full stomach from dinner at one of the areas restaurants, including a dinner boat cruise on Cayuga Lake. All in all, the course was a success, and we look forward to our upcoming course in October.
Click here or on the thumbnail above to view pictures from the course.
UK Short Course - February 2008
Porous Materials, Inc. has concluded its first UK Short Course, titled "Characterization of Pore Structure of Filtration Media and Membranes", held February 5th, 2008 at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, UK. The course was coordinated with Stephen Smith of Parker Hannifin, Ltd. and Professor Richard Wakeman of Loughborough University.
This course covered the foundations of capillary flow porometry, testing procedures under the applications environment, components and proper testing procedures of our Capillary Flow Porometer, including Liquid Permeability, and gave examples of different tests that can be run, reports given, and data and error analysis and reproducibility.
October 2007
During the week of October 8th - 12th, 23 participants from research labs and scientific industries, including biotechnology, fuel cell, paper and membranes, came to Ithaca, NY to attend our second Short Course of the year. Participants were given the opportunity to listen to lectures and demonstrations, get hands-on experience with our machines in our testing lab, and have their samples tested. Each night, they were treated to dinner at one of the fine local restaurants, including a dinner boat cruise aboard the M/V Manhattan on beautiful Cayuga Lake.
The staff at PMI tries very hard to put together an informative and fun filled week for the particiants. We're very happy to hear quotes like these from some of the participants:
"It surpassed my expectations."
"(The hospitality at) PMI went above and beyond."
"The course was very informative and well planned. The schedule & lectures covered a wide variety of testing procedures for different types of materials. I found the course very beneficial. I would be interested in coming back....There is great expertise at PMI and I was very impressed. Job well done!"
"This was an excellent course. Very well done and one of the most comprehensive courses I've been to."
"Overall, this course was excellent. I had no background relating to porosity, and now I feel like I understand the basics enough to deal with my specific projects. In addition to the excellent scientific aspects, the non-scientific aspects of the course (accommodations, meals, organization, etc.) were the best I've seen all year at any similar type of event."
We look forward to another informative and enjoyable Short Course in May of 2008. Please keep an eye on the website for news and information on this event.
Click either here or the thumbnail above to see some candid photos from the course.
May 2007 Recap
During the week of May 7th - 11th, experts in the field of Porosity characterization discussed the wide spectrum of pore structures exhibited by porous materials. The basic scientific principles of the pore structure characterization techniques, derivations of important relations, methods for data acquisition and stability were presented. Advances in instrumentation, design and integration dedicated to optimize reliability and reproducibility with PMI instruments were considered. The sources of random, systematic and machine errors in the data were also examined.
Recently developed techniques reviewed included emerging technologies and recently developed characterization techniques. The following techniques for characterization were emphasized:
- in-plane porosity
- porosity of layered and coated materials
- compression effects
- effects of cyclic compression
- envelope surface area
- average fiber or particle diameter
- vapor transmission
- permeability of chemicals
Significance of measurements, critical assessment of characterization, selection of techniques and interpretation of anomalous results often encountered with many samples were critically analyzed.
Guest speakers related their experiences with porosity measurements using different instruments and materials, and discussed resulting benefits found. Extensive discussion provided an opportunity to share thoughts and experiences. The attendees visited PMI's laboratory, worked with PMI instruments and gained "hands-on" experience by testing samples of various materials.
The short course brought together twenty-five technical specialists from industries, research laboratories and universities. If you were unable to participate in the past, make plans to attend any of our future short course offerings.
See some candid photos of the attendees and the PMI staff during different events during the week.
October 2006 Recap
Experts in the field discussed the wide spectrum of pore structures exhibited by porous materials. The basic scientific principles of the pore structure characterization techniques, derivations of important relations, methods for data acquisition and stability were presented. Experts discussed advances in instrumentation, design and integration dedicated to optimize reliability and reproducibility with PMI instruments. The sources of random, systematic and machine errors in the data were examined.
Other topics reviewed included emerging technologies and recently developed characterization techniques. The following techniques for characterization were emphasized: in-plane porosity, porosity of layered and coated materials, compression effects, effects of cyclic compression, envelope surface area, average fiber or particle diameter, vapor transmission and permeability of chemicals. Significance of measurements, critical assessment of characterization, and selection of techniques and interpretation of anomalous results often encountered with many samples were critically analyzed.
Speakers related their experiences with porosity measurements using different instruments and materials, and discussed resulting benefits found. A panel discussion provided opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences. For the remaining sessions, the attendees visited PMI's laboratory, worked with our instruments and gained "hands-on" experience by testing samples of various materials. If you were unable to participate in the past, make plans to attend any of our future short course offerings.
See some candid photos of the attendees and the PMI staff during different events during the week.