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Legal Disclaimers and Terms of Use

Legal Disclaimers & Terms of Use

 Last Updated: November 21, 2025

1. INTRODUCTION

Welcome to www.stevenspurgeon.com (the "Website"). This Website is owned and operated by Steven R. Spurgeon ("I", "Me", "My") in a personal capacity. By accessing, browsing, or using this Website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and Disclaimers (the "Terms").

2. GOVERNMENT AFFILIATION & VIEWS EXPRESSED

This Website is a personal publication and is not an official site of the United States Government, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, the Colorado School of Mines, or the University of Colorado–Boulder. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed on this Website—including in articles, code repositories, blog posts, and research summaries—belong solely to me. They do not reflect the official policy, position, or endorsement of my employers, funding agencies, or any committee with which I may be affiliated.

3. COPYRIGHT & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

A. Personal Content: Unless otherwise stated, I own the intellectual property rights for original content created specifically for this Website (e.g., blog posts, personal photography, site design).

B. Research & Public Domain Works: Please Note: Certain scientific content, figures, or abstracts referenced on this Website may be derived from work performed under U.S. Government contracts.

  • U.S. Government Works: Content produced by federal employees as part of their official duties is generally in the public domain in the United States and is not subject to copyright.

  • Third-Party Copyright: Some research materials (e.g., published journal articles) may be subject to copyright held by the respective publisher (e.g., Elsevier, Springer, Wiley). My sharing of summaries or preprints is intended to comply with fair use or specific Open Access licenses (e.g., CC-BY).

C. Usage Rights: You may access content for personal, non-commercial use. You must not republish, sell, or redistribute material from this Website without prior written consent, except for content explicitly marked with a Creative Commons (CC) or Open Source license, which shall be governed by the terms of that specific license.

4. SOFTWARE, CODE & SAFETY DISCLAIMER

A. "As Is" Warranty: Any software, scripts, datasets, or machine learning models ("Code") provided on this Website are offered "as is" without warranty of any kind. I make no representation regarding the Code’s reliability, accuracy, or fitness for a particular purpose.

B. Safety & Physical Risk: Warning: Concepts discussed regarding autonomous experimentation, materials synthesis, or instrument control involve physical risks. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any implementation of code or methodologies found on this Website complies with safety regulations and equipment specifications. I am not liable for damage to hardware, laboratory equipment, or safety incidents arising from the use of information provided here.

5. NOT PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

The content on this Website—including discussions on materials science, microscopy, and artificial intelligence—is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute professional consulting, engineering, or legal advice.

6. DATA PRIVACY & COOKIES

This Website is hosted on Squarespace.

  • Analytics: We use cookies to analyze site traffic (e.g., Squarespace Analytics, Google Analytics). This data includes IP addresses, browser type, and pages visited, and is used solely to improve site performance.

  • Personal Data: If you submit data via a contact form, I use that information strictly to respond to your inquiry. I do not sell, rent, or lease personal data to third parties.

  • GDPR/CCPA: You may disable cookies through your browser settings. If you are a resident of the EEA or California, you possess certain rights regarding your data; please contact me to exercise them.

8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Dr. Steven R. Spurgeon shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages (including data loss, equipment failure, or loss of profits) resulting from your use of this Website.

9. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms shall be governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.