Microscopy and Microanalysis 2006 will be the premiere meeting of the year for scientists and technologists interested in learning about the latest advances in applications and techniques for the analysis of a broad range of materials in the biological and physical sciences, as well as nano- and bio-technology. M&M-2006 will again host the largest commercial exhibition of microscopy and microanalysis equipment and related accessories in the world. In addition to the usual sponsoring societies, the Microscopy Society of America (MSA), and the Microbeam Analysis Society (MAS), the International Metallographic Society (IMS) will again be a co-sponsoring society for the meeting. We are also fortunate that the Microscopical Society of Canada/ Societe de Microscopie du Canada (MSC/SMC) will also be co-sponsoring the meeting this year. The M&M-2006 Executive Program Committee, comprised of co-chairs from each of the sponsoring societies, has put together a comprehensive scientific program that will encompass the state-of-the art in microscopy and microanalysis in 2006, and we look forward to welcoming you to Navy Pier!

The M&M 2006 meeting will begin on Sunday, July 30, with a pre-meeting congress entitled "Materials Research in an Aberration-Free Environment". The pre-meeting congress will share Sunday with a number of topical Short Courses addressing image processing and analysis, live cell imaging with fluorescence methods, scanning cathodoluminescence microscopy and spectroscopy, variable pressure and environmental SEM, and electron tomography. Examples of biological topics that will be addressed during the week of the meeting include: Cell Biology; Pathology; Microbiology; Microscopic molecular machines; Immunolabeling; and Photosynthetic organisms. Topical symposia in the physical sciences are: Nanoscience and nanotechnology; Catalysis; Quantitative x-ray microanalysis; Visualizing mechanical behavior; and Magnetic materials. In joint sessions for biological and materials scientists, symposia will address TEM automation, cryo- approaches for TEM, SEM and FIB/SEM, and surface microscopy. We honor the passing of Hans Ris with a special symposium on Cell Biology and Microscopy, and Art Chodos with a special symposium on Quantitative X-ray Microanalysis. Of special interest will be two 50th anniversaries: The first observation of dislocations, and the first experiments in elemental mapping by x-rays. Supplementing the topical sessions will be a number of tutorials and ask-the-experts sessions that will provide the opportunity to learn the basics behind several popular techniques. As always, the commercial exhibits will provide a unique opportunity for hands-on learning with the largest variety of state-of-the-art instrumentation found at any microscopy meeting worldwide.

The poster sessions will again provide the best venue for discussions and exchange of scientific information. To facilitate communication, we have made arrangements to have kegs of appropriate beverages available on the exhibit floor during the 3:30-5PM afternoon poster sessions. To promote this interaction, posters should be put up Monday morning and not removed until Thursday afternoon. This will allow one extra day for attendees to view the posters. We encourage you to consider submitting posters, and especially look forward to student participation through this mechanism. Please review the specific guidelines for the poster honors and prizes, such as the MSA Traveling Poster Exhibit, and the Diatome Award that includes a first prize of an all-expense-paid trip for two to Switzerland, with second and third prizes of Swiss watches. Please review all of the session descriptions, determine which one is most suitable for your work, and submit your abstract(s) by the February 15, 2006 deadline. All guidelines for submission can be found in this Call for Papers as well as at the meeting web site.

When submitting your abstracts to Microscopy and Microanalysis 2006 (see Author Info for detailed instructions), authors of invited talks and tutorials should select only the number corresponding to that session. Authors of contributed papers should select both a first and second choice. The Program Committee will use this information to arrange presentations into coherent sessions. Inclusion into a specific session cannot be guaranteed, but every effort will be made to place your contribution into the most appropriate session. When submitting their papers, authors should indicate if they prefer a poster presentation, and also if the first author is a student. To be eligible for judging, posters must be put up Monday morning. Posters should be left up for the entire week.

Specific details of each of the items outlined above can be found by selecting the appropriate Button on the left hand window of the WWW Site. Click here to see the details of eachSymposia listed below.

• Cell Biology and Microscopy: A symposium dedicated to the memory of Hans Ris
  
• Pathology
  
• Microbes and Materials: Surveillance of the Unknown with Emphasis on Emerging Diseases and Terrorist Events
  
• Microscopic Molecular Machines
  
• Advances in Correlative and High Resolution Labeling
  
• Advances in Microscopy of Photosynthetic Organisms: An Integrative Understanding of Cell Structure and Function
  
• In-Situ and other Advanced Microscopy and Microanalysis of Catalytic Materials: Nanoparticles and Porous Solids for Catalysis, Energy and Environment
  
• Quantitative X-ray Microanalysis: A Symposium Honoring Art Chodos
  
• 50th Anniversary of Observation of Dislocations
  
• Visualizing and Measuring Mechanical Behavior at Small Length Scales
  
• Microscopy and Microanalysis of Magnetic Materials
  
• Metallographic Preparation and Analysis of Polymer Materials
  
• Metallographic Studies of Medical Devices
  
• Analytical Limits in the Analysis of Nanotechnology
  
• Multi-length Scale Characterization of Materials from Nanometer to Millimeter
  
• TEM Automation
  
• Cryo-Preparation, Cryo-Sectioning, and Cryo-Approaches Using TEM, SEM, and FIB/SEM
  
• Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy for the 21st Century
  
• Surface Microscopy and Microanalysis in Materials and Biological Systems
  
• FIB and FIB/SEM: Applications and Techniques for Physical and Biological Sciences
  
• Advances in STEM Techniques for Materials Characterization
  
• Chemical Imaging in Microanalysis: 50th Anniversary of X-ray Mapping
  
• Ultrafast Electron Microscopy
  
• Advances in Low Voltage Microscopy and Microanalysis
  
• Approaching the 1-A Barrier in the CTEM
  
• Present and Future Limits of Variable Pressure and Environmental SEM
  
• Cathodoluminescence in the Scanning Electron Microscope
  
• Tomography in the Biological and Materials Sciences
  
• General Metallographic Techniques and Applications
  
• Failure Analysis and Prevention
  
• Microscopy, Microanalysis and Image Analysis in the Pharmaceutical Industry
  
• Contamination Control in Electron and Ion Microscopy
  
• Digital Imaging and Measurements
  
• Microscopy, Imaging & Training In The Digital Age
  
• Technologists' Forum
  
• Biological, Physical and Joint Tutorials
  
• Ask The Experts
  
• Contributed Sessions
  

It is the sincere hope of the Executive Program Committee that the scientific program will be of interest to all microscopists in North America and the world. We look forward to meeting and interacting with as many of you as possible in Chicago.

Microscopy and Microanalysis publishes original research papers dealing with a broad range of topics in microscopy and microanalysis. These include articles describing new techniques or instrumentation and their applications, as well as papers in which established methods of microscopy or microanalysis are applied to important problems in the fields of biology or materials science. Microscopy and microanalysis are defined here in a broad sense, and include all current and developing approaches to the imaging and analysis of microstructure. The criteria for acceptance of manuscripts are the originality and significance of the research, the quality of the microscopy or microanalysis involved, and the interest for our readership.

Editor in Chief: Charles E. Lyman
Phone: 610-758-4249
e-mail: charles.lyman@lehigh.edu

MICROSCOPY TODAY is an MSA magazine that provides material of interest and value to working microscopists in all fields. The magazine is free to microscopists in the US and MSA members worldwide.

Editor in Chief: Ron Anderson
Tel: 727-507-7101
Fax: 727-507-7102
Email: microscopytoday@tampabay.rr.com