Last word from the Iolite Workshop 2013

To all those who attended our Iolite Workshop 2013 in conjunction with the V.M. Goldschmidt conference, thank you for coming!
It was great to see some really interested users from a range of backgrounds and with a variety of exposure to Iolite. The feedback we received was fantastic and we're loaded with new ideas. We're working towards getting some of these things ready for the next release (like the ability to synchronise data from two mass spectrometers), while other bigger changes will be incorporated into Iolite 3. We haven't mentioned much yet on the blog about Iolite 3, but as the name suggests it will be a major upgrade – mainly to the user interface and workflow of Iolite – and more details will follow in future blog posts as development progresses.

Despite the heat (the aircon wasn't working from the start of the workshop) and the timestamp issues (we've spoken to the relevant mass spec company), participants were enthusiastic and engaged. We also gained a lot from the discussion of open data and increasing data half-lives.

We have lots of big things planned for Iolite, and we also appreciate that if researchers are investing time in learning to use our software we have to ensure Iolite sticks around and remains relevant, so we're working hard on keeping Iolite moving forward.

So a big thank you to all the participants, and to those who couldn't make it this time, there will be more.

The Iolite Team

More Iolite 2013 Workshop details

We've started preparing the Iolite 2013 Workshop, to be held in Florence, Italy, the weekend before the Goldschmidt Conference. Here is a brief list of some of the topics we will be covering:

• An introduction to the Iolite data reduction flow
• How to install and use Iolite
• Loading and checking mass spec data in Iolite
• Various data reduction examples (including trace elements and U-Pb geochronology)
• How to use Iolite for solution analyses
• Creating laser ablation images in Iolite
• Error propagation and estimation
• Creating and editing reference material files (i.e. how to use your own values for reference materials like NIST SRM 612 etc)
• Creating and editing your own Data Reduction Schemes

If there's anything you'd like covered, or would like more information about the topics outlined above, head over to the forum and ask away!

The Iolite Team

Iolite Workshop - Florence Italy 24 - 25th August 2013

Below are some provisional details regarding the Iolite Workshop, to be held in conjunction with the Goldschmidt Conference in Florence, August 2013. The workshop runs for two days, and is aimed at users of all levels from complete novice to programmer.

The first day is perfect for beginners and all those who would like to get a good grounding in Iolite basics, and will have participants working through example datasets on the day. The second day will look at particular applications (e.g. UPb geochronology) and advanced topics, such as creating or customising your own data reduction schemes.


DATES: 9 am - 5 pm 24th August, 2013 & 10 am - 3 pm 25th August, 2013
CLOSING DATE FOR REGISTRATION: 24 July, 2013
PARTICIPANTS: Limited to 50

BYO laptop and charger. Laptop screens should have a resolution of at least 1280 x 800 px.

NOTE: Some of these details may change over the coming months. Please check back regularly for updates.

Interesting posts

Hi all,

As you may be aware, the Iolite team have been busy working on a new release and the Iolite workshop (August 14th) as part of the Goldschmidt conference.

But the forum has been busy with interesting and important questions asked by users. I recommend having a quick look at these topics:

There's a new feature in the Trace_Elements_IS DRS

Here's a discussion of how ratios are calculated in Iolite

...or how stats are calculated in Iolite

And a nifty tip for manually setting image parameters

Also, Dany Savard, one of the regular contributors to the forum, has added some additional standard files for users to download. But, as Jon says "Ultimately, it will always be up to the user to confirm that the reference material values they are using are the ones that they believe in/wish to use." So please check any files you download before you trust them.

That's all for now, but we'll have a release out in the next few weeks, and there will likely be some more activity around here after the workshop.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to post on the forum!

Iolite workshop: registration is now open

(Please note that registration has now closed for the 2011 workshop in Prague)

Hi,
Registration for the Iolite workshop is now open!


Just as a quick reminder (the full original post can be found here), the workshop will be run in Prague on the 14th of August, 2011 (the sunday prior to Goldschmidt). It will be in the Prague Conference Center, which is the same venue as the conference, and will start at 1pm and run for 5 hours. To make life easy for anyone planning on attending both the detrital zircon UPb workshop and our Iolite workshop, we'll be using the same venue, and will follow on directly from the UPb workshop with lunch, then start the Iolite session.


To register, please send an email to Iolitesoftware@gmail.com including the following information:
---Name (and title)
---Institution
---Contact details (unless told otherwise, we'll assume you want to use email address you mail from)
---Any comments or special requests
We will then reply to your email with an invoice and payment details.

Cost of the workshop is 30 € (euro) before July 14th, or 50 € (euro) after that date. The cost is per participant, including lunch and afternoon tea.

We encourage all participants to bring their own laptop, and if possible to install the latest versions of Iolite and IgorPro prior to the workshop (we will have install files with us on the day for those unable to pre-install).

For information about the detrital zircon UPb workshop (including registration) click here.

Iolite Workshop - sunday August 14, 2011

(Please note that registration has now closed for the 2011 workshop in Prague)

We'll be running our first Iolite workshop in conjunction with the Goldschmidt conference in Prague later this year!

[Please note: registration is now open, see here for the latest post with details]

The workshop will be aimed at introducing Iolite to new users, and will focus on everything you need to know to get started processing your mass spec. data with Iolite, including:
--- Importing your data
--- How to get the most out of viewing data in Iolite
--- Using the Report Window and X-Y Plot Window
--- Selecting data and using different interpolation methods
--- The basics of modifying an existing DRS

We intend to make it a very hands-on workshop, with participants working through example datasets on their own laptops, instead of just staring at powerpoint slides and handouts. There will of course still be amazingly stunning slides and mindblowingly brilliant handouts, but the hands-on stuff will be so much fun that they'll just fade into insignificance by comparison...

There will be a bias towards laser ablation data in the workshop, particularly U-Pb zircon geochronology and trace element imaging, but we'll also be covering solution mode ICPMS and TIMS data.

Note also that the workshop is being run in cooperation with the Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology workshop, and will follow on in the same venue to make it easy on anyone wanting to attend both.

Finally, if you have requests or suggestions for other topics you'd like included in the workshop, feel free to comment on this post, or on our forum.