What does his job involve?

Eddie Moler's job entails using spectrometers to do soft x-ray spectroscopy for basic research in chemistry and solid-state physics. A spectrometer looks at the energy distribution of particles emitted from a sample to identify the elements in the sample and their chemical states. Eddie records the energies of the particles using a computer interfaced to special electronic and mechanical hardware. The user interface allows easy setup and control of the hardware and displays the results. The resulting energy "spectra" are then used to infer the physical and chemical characteristics of the sample.

Eddie also designs experiments, builds instruments to accomplish them (his creativity comes in handy here!), and figures out how the instruments can be used in other experiments. He sometimes uses a computer to model experimental systems. His job involves working collaboratively with other scientists to share ideas and figure out the best strategy for a project and then to carry out the experiments. This involves teamwork and is a lot of fun.

Eddie creates computer models for future experiments and to help understand the results of experiments he has already performed. The modeling for future experiments is aimed at testing the basic approach to solving a scientific problem (proof-of-concept experiments). If a test works, Eddie will write a proposal to build a full-blown system.

What is he doing now?

Since Eddie is starting a collaboration with a scientist in Berkeley Lab's Earth Sciences Division, he is reading about geochemistry at surfaces. He is doing extensive literature searches for relevant scientific publications, analyzing what is currently known, and determining the major scientific questions.

If, for example, heavy metal contamination is found in the ground at a former industrial site, scientists would like to know if and how quickly the metal will move through the ground and possibly contaminate a drinking water supply. If the metal ions like to stick to the mineral and clay particles present at the site, there will be less chance of the water supply being contaminated, since the metal is bound to the mineral or clay; however, if the metal ions do not stick to the particles, they may move very quickly through the ground, thus contaminating the water supply. By experimenting with different parameters and observing the results, Eddie can provide information that will improve models that predict what will happen in the field.

Eddie is also working on a new kind of soft x-ray spectrometer, a Fourier transform spectrometer. This instrument will look at the interaction of x rays with matter at a higher than ever level of detail. Understanding the details of these interactions will help scientists understand the underlying principles of chemical reactions and the effects of chaos in atomic systems.

What are the highs and lows of his job?

Eddie enjoys conferences where he can present his research to a room full of research scientists. Eddie's low points come when a project takes much longer than he originally anticipated.

What is a typical day at the ALS like for him?

Eddie takes B.A.R.T. (Bay Area Rapid Transit) from Walnut Creek to the Berkeley Lab. He begins his morning by checking and responding to his email and phone messages. Then he finds the people who are working on projects he is responsible for to check on their progress. If there are difficulties, Eddie decides the next course of action.

Eddie spends some time thinking about future experiments and reading the current publications of other scientists' work. He spends a lot of time working directly with the experimental equipment. It is laborious work that sometimes requires computer programming to control the instruments and calculations for different variables. The sample preparation is partially automated, but it still takes time. Some changes to a sample's variables are controlled by his input into the computer, and others are adjusted manually with knobs. It can take months for the preparation of samples and a few weeks for the experiment, though if the experiment fails the first time, "it turns into months." As he works, Eddie writes down his ideas, trying to make them coherent, and then may write a paper describing the experiment and results. This paper is published in a scientific journal such as The Physical Review.