In July, we hosted our first ALPhA Immersion at Quantum Design's San Diego headquarters. The two-day workshop was led by Quantum Design Senior Application Scientist, Randy Dumas, and Associate Professor of Physics at CSU San Marcos, Stephen Tsui.
ALPhA Immersions are hands-on training sessions designed to give university faculty practical experience with advanced lab instruments, equipping them with tools and insight to enhance physics education at their institutions.
This session focused on the PPMS® VersaLab®, our compact, cryogen-free platform for teaching and research. Participants Thelma Berquo (Concordia College) and Gregory Severn (University of San Diego) worked through the full experimental process, from sample preparation and system configuration to running measurement sequences and analyzing data.
The immersion provided valuable, firsthand experience with VersaLab's capabilities and highlighted its impact as a powerful tool for both research and instruction.
Regarding her experience at the immersion session, Thelma had this to say:
“The ALPhA Immersion at Quantum Design provided a valuable hands-on experience with the VersaLab, and modules I was not previously familiar with. Thanks to the excellent mentorship provided throughout the workshop, I now feel confident in using the modules introduced to my students in our advanced laboratory course. The experience also inspired me to expand my research by exploring new experimental techniques using the VersaLab."
Gregory had similar thoughts following his completion of the session:
“For any physicist—especially physics or engineering faculty—seeking a firsthand look at a state-of-the-art instrumentation suite for quantum materials and condensed matter research, this is the experience you've been looking for. The Versalab-based ALPhA Immersion program is truly brilliant (it's hard not to use superlatives). It includes hands-on sample preparation along with technical insights (essential practical knowledge), and yes, some of the 'black magic' and 'inside baseball' crucial for getting started, whether in real research or in designing advanced undergraduate lab experiences. Huge thanks to Randy Dumas of Quantum Design, and Stephen Tsui of CSU San Marcos!"
Thelma has already demonstrated the impact of hands-on instrument access in an undergraduate lab. Her students recently published a paper in the Journal of Undergraduate Reports in Physics characterizing iron oxide samples using Mössbauer spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Their VSM data was collected using the VersaLab, demonstrating the value of tools like it for enabling meaningful, publishable undergraduate research.
The ALPhA Immersion at Quantum Design builds on this kind of work by giving instructors deeper familiarity with our platform's full capabilities, so they can confidently integrate advanced materials characterization into their own curriculum. This focus on hands-on learning is central to Discovery Teaching Labs, which inspires students to "take theory into practice,"" thereby better training them to be successful in the next stage of their scientific careers. Learn more about Discovery Teaching Labs’ impact on academia and industry here.
