3DED/MicroED Short Course
MON, NOVEMBER 2 – WED, NOVEMBER 4
NYSBC, SEMC and NCCAT will offer a 3-day short course November 2-4, 2026. Day one of the course will encompass lectures that delve into the multiple steps of the MicroED workflow. Days 2 & 3 will have practicals in sample preparation, setting up a TEM for data collection, and data processing. For those that want further instruction and a chance to collect their own data, we will host a bonus day for independent practice on November 5. We held our first MicroED short course November 6-9, 2023 for 18 participants, which resulted in an Acta C review to help disseminate knowledge to the broader scientific community. Our second iteration November 4-6, 2024 built on lessons learned from the first workshop and further expanded the community of electron diffraction practitioners. Our third iteration November 3-5, 2025 focused on advancing the field by creating sustainable communities of independent researchers. This offering will be our fourth iteration to promote accessibility and reduce bottlenecks.
Sponsored By
Deadlines & Registration Fees
November 2-4*, 2026.
*optional follow-on day Nov. 5 for on-site data collection
Registration fees:**
students $125
postdocs $175
staff/PIs/professionals $250
industry $650
Room and board NOT included
**travel awards available
Applicants will be informed of acceptance on a rolling basis starting on September 14, 2026.
Applications after October 2, 2026 will be put on the waitlist.
Accepted applicants need to confirm registration and payment by October 26, 2026.
For more information email nccatuseroffice [at] nysbc.org
Short Course Agenda
*Current as of 9/10/26. Schedule is subject to change.
Monday, November 2, 2026
Day 1: Symposium
| Time (ET) | Topic | Lecturer |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30-10:00 | Welcome and Introductions | All attendees |
| 10:00-10:30 | Current topics: Electron diffraction of small molecules | TBA |
| 10:30-11:00 | Current topics: Electron diffraction of biomacromolecules | Michael Martynowycz, University of Buffalo |
| 11:00-11:15 | Coffee Break | |
| 11:15-11:45 | Automation & machine learning in electron Diffraction | Dmitry Eremin, University of Texas at Austin |
| 11:45-12:15 | Technology development for electron diffraction | Oliver Harder, Dectris |
| 12:15 - 13:00 | Group Photo & Lunch | Lunch is provided |
| 13:00-13:30 | Walking tour of NYSBC | Ed Eng, NYSBC |
| 13:30-14:30 | From images to structure: the process of small-molecule structure determination from 3DED/MicroED data | Lukas Palatinus, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (joining remotely) |
| 14:30-14:45 | Technology development for electron diffraction Part 2 | TBA |
| 14:45-15:00 | Advances in electron diffraction and microscopy with MerlinEM | Gearóid Mangan, Quantum Detectors |
| 15:00-15:15 | Technology development for electron diffraction Part 3 | TBA |
| 15:15-16:00 | Coffee/Tea Break | |
| 16:00-16:25 | Management of 3D ED/microED at wwPDB | Chenghua Shao, Scientific Software Developer, RCSB Protein Data Bank |
| 16:25-17:20 | Open Discussion and Roundtable | All Attendees |
| 17:20-17:30 | Debrief & overview of practical schedule | Organizers |
| 17:30 | Reception | Light refreshments |
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Day 2 Practicals: Data processing and sample preparation
| Time (ET) | Topic | Lecturer |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00-10:15 | Data Processing Introduction and XDS Walkthru | Michael Martynowycz, University of Buffalo |
| 10:15-10:30 | Break | |
| 10:30-12:00 | Data Processing Practical | Michael Martynowycz, University of Buffalo |
| 12:00-13:00 | Group Photo Take 2 and Lunch | Lunch is Provided |
| 13:00-14:00 | Sample preparation station 1 | |
| 14:00-14:15 | Break | |
| 14:15-15:15 | Sample preparation station 2 | |
| 15:15-15:30 | Break | |
| 15:30-16:30 | Sample preparation station 3 | |
| 16:30-16:40 | Debrief | |
| 16:40 | Reception | Light Refreshments |
Sample preparation stations. Attendees will rotate in small groups through all three stations.
| Stations | Topic | Instructors |
|---|---|---|
| A | Dry sample prep (small molecules) and autogrid clipping | TBA |
| B | Hydrated sample prep (biomacromolecules and plunge freezers) | TBA |
| C | Focued Ion Beam (FIB) milling introduction & demo | TBA |
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Day 3 Practicals: Data collection
| Time (ET) | Topic | Lecturer |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00-9:20 | Introduction to data collection interfaces | Dan Decato, University of Montana |
| 9:30-10:30 | Data collection station 1 | |
| 10:45-11:45 | Data collection station 2 | |
| 12:00-13:00 | Lunch | Lunch is Provided |
| 13:00-14:00 | Data collection station 3 | |
| 14:15-15:15 | Data collection station 4 | |
| 15:30-16:15 | Station 5: revisit your favorite station or join the data processing table | |
| 16:15-16:45 | Debrief and wrap up | NYSBC staff |
Data collection stations. Attendees will rotate in small groups through four stations.
| Stations | Topic | Instructors |
|---|---|---|
| A | Setting up the microscope to collect good diffraction data | TBA |
| B | EPU-D workflow and collecting data | TBA |
| C | Automation with Reyes and SerialEM | TBA |
| D | Direct detectors & lamella collection | TBA |
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Day 4 Optional
additional informal instruction and an opportunity to work with your own sample
After acceptance, course participants will be required to submit a registration fee.
We will reach out to accepted applicants in September and waitlisted applicants by October. For further inquires please email the NCCAT User Office.
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The symposium on day one will be hybrid, but the short course will be an in-person on-site workshop.
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Organizing committee:
Dan Decato (University of Montana)
Ed Eng (NYSBC) &
Christina Zimanyi (NYSBC)
Program committee:
Josh Chen (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Michael Martynowycz (University of Buffalo)
Katie Spoth (University of Buffalo)
Ryan Donnelly (Yale University)