{"id":3274,"date":"2014-11-20T08:00:54","date_gmt":"2014-11-20T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/?p=3274"},"modified":"2026-01-06T17:07:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T17:07:43","slug":"is-education-needed-to-operate-portable-xrf-instruments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/is-education-needed-to-operate-portable-xrf-instruments\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Education Needed to Operate Portable XRF Instruments?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Education\"Christine Gregoire, former governor of Washington State, once said \u201cEducation is the foundation upon which we build our future.\u201d This message certainly holds true in many disciplines, including the use of new technologies.\u00a0 Modern analytical instrumentation is rarely intuitive.\u00a0 You can\u2019t step in front of a new Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES), or Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) analyzer and manipulate it with the ease of a smart phone.\u00a0 It takes training, years of experience and a strong educational background to fully grasp the nuances of these sophisticated techniques and to produce reliable data from them. This reality shifted somewhat with the introduction of handheld EDXRF analyzers starting in the 1990\u2019s. Handheld (HH) XRF<\/a> revolutionized the analytical instrumentation world first by taking the instrument from the lab to the field.\u00a0 By miniaturizing the XRF components, and designing the system for battery power, operators are no longer restricted to sending samples to a remote laboratory.\u00a0 Second, the elemental data provided by HH XRF instruments is immediate, taking only a few seconds to a few minutes.\u00a0 Previously the waiting time to receive analytical information could range from hours to days, to even weeks if the operation was very distant from the lab service provider.\u00a0 Last, HH XRF provides a new level of \u201csample density\u201d unobtainable before.\u00a0 This means that like a digital camera, there is virtually no limit to the number of analytical \u201csnapshots\u201d (i.e. sample analyses) that can be performed.\u00a0 Where once there was a cutoff point to the number of samples a user could physically and financially afford to send to a lab, now there is almost limitless access to sample data. Is education now rendered ineffectual?<\/span> Is education now rendered ineffectual with the development of point-and-shoot analytical tools<\/a>? Absolutely not.\u00a0 HH XRF — especially in complex, ever-changing mining matrices and applications — still requires the appropriate education and training of its users. \u00a0There are limitations to this technology and it is possible for the uninitiated to expose themselves and\/or their companies to risk.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s for correct use of the instrument, proper application of safety features, or accurate interpretation of data, the operator must be educated in the technology. Some instrument manufacturers are taking this instructive process seriously, providing HH XRF short courses for various top geology and geochemistry programs around the world in an attempt to establish an early basis of operational knowledge.\u00a0 Usually these classes are attended by third or fourth-year undergraduates, and graduate (Master and PhD) students.\u00a0 They include subject matter covering theory of operation, radiation safety<\/a>, and real-world mining and exploration applications<\/a> for HH XRF.\u00a0 Both the prestigious Colorado School of Mines and Harvard University recently offered this type of class.\u00a0 Canadian colleges already scheduled to offer these XRF education classes from the experts include Lakehead University, University of Manitoba, and Simon Fraser University. I can\u2019t stress enough that education is the key to successful operation of modern HH XRF analytical instrumentation.\u00a0 Although the devices are becoming easier to use, there is a substantial amount of knowledge required to extract reliable and meaningful data, just like any other sophisticated analytical instrument. To find out if these classes are offered at your university or to request a guest lecturer class on handheld XRF technology be held at your school, please email <\/em>advancing.mining@thermofisher.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christine Gregoire, former governor of Washington State, once said \u201cEducation is the foundation upon which we build our future.\u201d This message certainly holds true in many disciplines, including the use of new technologies.\u00a0 Modern analytical instrumentation is rarely intuitive.\u00a0 You can\u2019t step in front of a new Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), Optical Emission<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138,"featured_media":3346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[],"division":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3274","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general","8":"entry"},"_selected_authors":[1204],"_selected_reviewers":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIs 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Some have been around for quite awhile, but are still as relevant as ever. If you missed any of the latest articles, just click\u00a0here\u00a0to see the most recently published articles. You can even filter by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General\/Industry"","block_context":{"text":"General\/Industry","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/general-industry-mining\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Top 10, words, isolated on a dark blue background. Alphabet on stone blocks.Rating. Rating concept. 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According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), about 85% of potash is used in fertilizers, underscoring its critical role in global farming systems.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Data Management\/Lab Automation"","block_context":{"text":"Data Management\/Lab Automation","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/data-management-lab-automation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"potash evaporation ponds at mining site","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/mining\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/06\/iStock-1362567340.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13977,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/what-is-in-situ-geochemical-analysis-and-why-it-is-critical-for-modern-field-operations\/","url_meta":{"origin":3274,"position":5},"title":"What Is In Situ Geochemical Analysis \u2014 And Why It Is Critical for Modern Field Operations","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"March 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In situ geochemical analysis has become a cornerstone of modern mineral exploration, mining, and environmental fieldwork. 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