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Hands-on pre-conference workshops

Ahead of the main conference, Geoanalysis 2027 offers a full day of hands-on pre-conference workshops for anyone wanting to deepen their practical, instrument-level skills in modern geoanalytical techniques — bringing together academia, industry, and analytical laboratories.

  • Date:

    Sunday, 8 August 2027

  • Time:

    09:00 – 16:00

  • Venue:

    Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria — small lecture rooms on the conference site, one per workshop

  • Format:
    Five parallel tracks running side by side all day — choose one workshop and stay with it for the full session
  • Cost:
    Free of charge, but places in each room are limited
Choose one of five parallel, hands-on sessions spanning the geoanalytical workflow, from rapid field screening to laboratory data quality:

1. Handheld XRF & LIBS

A practical introduction to field-portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for rapid, on-site geochemical screening. Covers instrument operation, calibration, and the practical limits and pitfalls of handheld analysis for exploration and mining applications.

2. µ-XRF

A hands-on session on micro-XRF mapping and spot analysis — sample requirements, spatial resolution, and how the technique supports mineralogical and textural studies.

3. MC-ICP-MS

A hands-on session on multi-collector ICP-MS for high-precision isotope ratio measurements, covering instrument setup, data acquisition strategy, and uncertainty evaluation.

4. Sample preparation

Best-practice techniques for preparing geological and environmental materials for analysis, with a focus on contamination control, sample homogeneity, and matching preparation to the intended analytical method.

5. Quality assurance & data quality

Practical approaches to QA/QC in geoanalytical laboratories — using reference materials, proficiency testing schemes, and statistical tools to evaluate and defend data quality.

Registration

Workshops are free of charge, but each session takes place in a small lecture room with limited seating, so places are capped and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Since each attendee can only join one of the five parallel workshops, please indicate your preferred topic when registering. The number of maximum workshop attendees will be announced.

Interested in sponsoring a workshop?

Instrument, reference-material, and software companies can sponsor one of these hands-on workshops and receive full Gold-tier sponsorship benefits across the whole conference, plus workshop naming, a demo slot, and logo placement on workshop materials. See our Sponsorship page for details.