CREDIT: Greg Southam, The Journal Dr. Murray Gray shows off the new $1.6 million field emission microprobe at the opening of the new $13 million Alberta Centre for Surface Engineering and Science in the U of A engineering, teaching and learning complex.

EDMONTON - Don't let appearances fool you.

Just because the JEOL Jamp-9500F field emission auger microprobe looks like any number of lesser machines, it is not.

It just happens to be the jewel of the new $13-million Surface Engineering and Science Centre that opened at the University of Alberta on Tuesday.

As far as microprobes -- a fancy name for a spectrometer -- go, this one is, at a considerable $1.6-million price tag, unique in North America.

There is not another like it anywhere without crossing an ocean that has the horsepower of this baby, which sits deep within the bowels of one of the engineering buildings, atop its own anti-vibration floor.

The JEOL Jamp-9500F can measure, analyze and provide a 3-D look at any piece of matter, down to scale of 10 nanometres -- the size of three atoms.

The scientific community will beat a path to the U of A's door to get a gander at this device. "We'll be getting tours from across North America," said Murray Gray, the faculty engineer and researcher who is director of the new centre.

"It's exciting. There's no tool better that you can get your hands on than this instrument."

For instance, among scientific experiments being conducted on the super spectrometer is one involving coke buildup on processing equipment in Syncrude's oilsands north of Fort McMurray.

If scientists can better understand how the coating of carbon-rich waste material occurs, Syncrude could potentially recover billions of dollars worth of production now lost to coking and avoid costly maintenance shutdowns.

The new integrated research centre is shared by the faculties of engineering and science. It has a full array of equipment and instrumentation for materials surface analysis, which until now has not existed in Alberta.

The facility will be key for research advances in such areas as micro electronics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, medical implants, pharmaceuticals and energy.

David Lynch, dean of engineering, said the centre will let researchers go into undiscovered territory.

Science dean Gregory Taylor praised the collaborative nature of how the facility is structured for study that spans faculties to spur innovation and broaden Alberta's economy.

Financing for the Alberta Centre for Surface Engineering and Science came from the province through the Alberta Science and Research Investments Program, the federal government through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and industry sponsors Syncrude and Micralyne.

"This research facility will play a critical role in placing our country's researchers on the leading edge," said Matthew Spence, board member of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

pmarck@thejournal.canwest.com