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Newsletter=========================================================== CLS-News Vol. 2 No. 4 October 15, 2003 www.lightsource.ca University of Saskatchewan, Canada ====================================================================
*************************************************************************** 1. First electrons in the storage ring! (Contact: les.dallin@lightsource.ca) For the first time, on September 27th, the electron beam made several complete circuits of the storage ring and all major systems are working as designed. Beam position monitors indicated that the beam made over three turns around the ring. This Sunday, October 12th, the electrons circulated for 21 turns of the ring. More turns will require using the superconducting cavity which will be ready for use this week. Further refinements to the storage ring will take place over the next several months. These will aim at keeping the electron beam circulating for several hours at a time and increasing the beam intensity. This will be followed by commissioning tests of the photon beamlines. *************************************************************************** 2. MOU signed between CLS and Spain's CELLS (Contact: emil.hallin@lightsource.ca) On Wednesday, October 1st, in the Spanish island of Menorca, a memorandum of understanding for scientific and technical cooperation in several areas of mutual interest was signed by the CLS, the University of Saskatchewan and the Sincrotrón del Vallès (CELLS). CELLS is the most recently announced synchrotron project, to be built in Barcelona and scheduled for operations in 2008. This partnership is the result of a major effort by CLS and CELLS over the last few months, which started with a visit to the NRC (Ottawa) by Spain's State Secretariat for Scientific and Technological Policy, Dr. Pedro Morenés Eulate, followed by a visit to CLS by the Spanish State Secretariat for Scientific Policy, Dr. Gonzalo Leon, accompanied by a delegation of scientists and government representatives. These exchanges culminated with the visit to Barcelona and Menorca by Dr. Emil Hallin, CLS Experimental Facilities Manager. The 5-year MOU focuses on several mutually beneficial potential areas, including exchange of technical specifications and design information; assignment of scientists or engineers for assistance with development or operation of either facility, or for research activities to complement the scientific programs at both facilities; development of joint research and development programs in technical or scientific applications; collaborations with local suppliers and industry to provide synchrotron services or construction expertise; educational opportunities including exchange of scientific expertise and trainees and applications for mutual access to the beam-lines at the respective Synchrotron Radiation facilities. *************************************************************************** 3. Scientific Advisory Committee- Call for members (Contact: lori.heikoop@lightsource.ca for William Thomlinson) Dear Colleague, The Canadian Light Source Inc. Board of Directors approved the attached Terms of Reference for the CLSI Science Advisory Committee (SAC). I am writing to solicit names of possible scientists whom we might ask to join the SAC. My plan is to have the first SAC in place by the end of this calendar year so that we can smoothly transition from the old ROC/FAC committees to the SAC. The major thrust is to have a SAC comprised of outstanding scientists with vision and knowledge of the directions of Canadian and International science, and the directions that CLS must take to be a truly world class facility. In addition, the SAC will ensure that our peer review systems, facility utilization, and future resources are optimized. I am looking forward to assembling a list of outstanding candidates for our deliberation. As you think about candidates, please think globally, not just Canadian. The SAC will have a mix of scientists from Canada and other countries, and from academia and industry. Ultimately, our choices will be approved by the Board of Directors. If you would like to comment on any of the individuals that you propose, please do so. That will be of great benefit to us. If possible, we would like to have your suggestions by October 26, 2003. You can request a copy of the terms of reference by contacting: lori.heikoop@lightsource.ca *************************************************************************** 4. Users' Meeting & Associated Workshops - Register Now (Contact: clsuo@lightsource.ca) (Early Registration & Poster Deadline October 31, 2003. A $20.00 late fee penalty will be applied thereafter.) Registration is now open for the 6th Annual Users' Meeting & Associated Workshops, November 13-15, 2003 at the University of Saskatchewan. This meeting, organized by the Users' Advisory Committee of the Canadian Light Source, will be a great opportunity to learn about the progress of the Canadian Light Source, present your recent synchrotron work or ideas for future work and meet fellow users. The following Workshops will also be held in association with the meeting:
You are invited to submit posters about your recent or planned synchrotron
work. The Canadian Institute for Synchrotron Radiation will again offer a
prize for the best synchrotron related poster presented by a graduate student
or post-doctoral fellow. The prize will be $1000 to support travel by the
winner to attend a related conference of their choice in the coming year,
and present their work. Poster submission Deadline is October 31, 2003, please
register here: For more information and to register, please visit the meeting web site: *************************************************************************** 5. Biomaterials Research using SR Techniques Workshop (Contact: alex.moewes@usask.ca) A workshop entitled Biomaterials Research using Synchrotron Radiation Techniques Workshop will be held on Friday, Nov. 14th, 2003 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the University of Saskatchewan. The workshop will discuss key questions in synchrotron-based studies of biomaterials. It will be organized by Alexander Moewes and Heinz-Bernhard Kraatz and its purpose is to educate and gather the Canadian biomaterials research community in synchrotron-based studies. It will provide the input of experienced synchrotron scientists to: 1. address the different questions that SR-based techniques can answer, 2. discuss problems in such different sample systems as gases, liquids and solids, 3. explain the variety of SR-techniques that are employed to study biomaterials. The workshop will feature the following six speakers:
==================================================================== 6. Synchrotron IR spectroscopy workshop: Examples and advice from the experts (Contact: kmgough@Ms.UManitoba.CA) An all-day workshop on synchrotron infrared spectroscopy will be held on Friday Nov. 14, the day preceding the AUM. The goal is to provide a forum for learning and discussion among experienced users and novices, to address to the power and the pitfalls in using synchrotron IR in your research. I) Special note for the non-expert/novice! IR warm-up. 7:45 AM to 9 AM Two of the workshop organizers Kathy Gough and Ken Schmidt will host a Coffee Muffins & IR breakfast in the same room as the all day workshop. Who should attend this early session? If you are interested in the potential of mid-IR mapping in your research, but have limited experience with it, plan to attend this early morning session for an introduction to the theory and practice of this versatile and powerful technique. II) Morning regular session: a series of talks by national and international
experts on many aspects of experimentation and application. Speakers include:
III) Afternoon Mid-IR and Far IR sessions:
IV) Tours and demonstrations of the IR endstations at the ring may take place later in the afternoon (depending on the commissioning schedule). Tim May, the CLS IR beamline scientist, will join the organizers in hosting this informal session. ==================================================================== 7. Application of X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy in (Solid-state) Chemistry - XAS Data Reduction and Analysis (Contact: jpercival@nrcan.gc.ca) After a short introduction into the basics of X-ray absorption spectroscopy XAS (physics, experimental, and data reduction) the workshop will focus on the practical aspects of XAS data analysis (one third theory, two thirds hands-on) using the software package WinXAS. On the first day we will work together on selected examples illustrating the fundamental data reduction steps (e.g. calibration, background removal, µ(0) fit, FT) and data analysis steps (XANES reference fitting, principal component analysis, EXAFS refinements). On the second day the participants will be working on selected analysis problems and the results obtained and the procedures chosen will be discussed. The workshop is intended for XAS user with a basic knowledge about X-ray absorption spectroscopy and XAS data analysis. This 2-day workshop will take place on Thursday & Friday, November 13, 14. For program details please go to: http://www.lightsource.ca/uac/meeting2003/workshop1.php ==================================================================== 8. Automation of Protein Crystallography Beamlines Workshop (Contact: pawel.grochulski@lightsource.ca) This workshop will be devoted to automated data collection, reduction and analysis at protein crystallography beamlines. Presentations will be given by authors of popular programs such as HKL2000, Blu-Ice and Elves, as well as by developers of some control systems, including autosamplers, from PX beamlines at BNL, ALS, ESRF and SSRL. This half-day workshop will take place on the morning of Friday, November 14th. For program details please go to: http://www.lightsource.ca/uac/meeting2003/workshop3.php ==================================================================== 9. Users Meeting- Sponsors and Exhibitors (Contact: sandra.ribeiro@lightsource.ca) We'd like to thank the following sponsors and exhibitors for their support of the meeting: Advanced Design Consulting, Inc. There is limited space available, so please contact us now regarding different sponsorship opportunities! ==================================================================== 10. Experimental Facilities Update (Contact: emil.hallin@lightsource.ca) With all of the major procurement activities concluded, the focus of the group has shifted to installation activities. This is a significant milestone in the beamline delivery schedule and we're delighted to have reached it! Thanks to UMA for all the work they've done in helping us get here. The next four to six months will involve coordinating the activities of a large number of vendors to enable the timely delivery and installation of their products and the closeout of the respective contracts. As the vendors provide us with their delivery timetables, installation schedules are being determined for each of the first phase beamlines. The optical diagnostic beamline is well on the way to completion. The next highest priority for CLS resources is being put on the two soft x-ray beamlines which should be operable by the end of this year (the VLS-PGM and the High Resolution SGM). The two infrared spectrometers will both be operational before the end of the year, but design issues (now being solved) related to the first mirror have pushed delivery of some of the optical components into 2004. The Soft X-ray Spectromicroscopy beamline components should all be in house by February 2004. Vendor supplied schedules for the protein crystallography and micro-XAFS beamlines have arrived and are being incorporated into the installation schedules for these two hard x-ray beamlines. ==================================================================== 11. Applied Science at the CLS (Contact: jeffrey.cutler@lightsource.ca) Since the beginning of the CLS project the belief has been that an applied science program could grow to be an important source of exciting science, while augmenting the CLSI operating budget and making us a leader in the global synchrotron community. Target activities would include academic, government, and industry collaborations (with or without the intent to publish), and support services for non-traditional users, including small and medium sized enterprises. With this in mind, CLSI has taken a very proactive role to develop a strong applied science program, with a particular emphasis, initially, on environmental geochemistry. Since May of 2000, we have completed 20 projects for approximately 15 different clients and helped to facilitate another 5 projects through the DARTS program at Daresbury Laboratory UK. Two of these reports are published, and three more are in process. This productivity has lead to a growth in our scientific team to three and a half dedicated staff scientists, whose mission is to develop and grow various research programs that will showcase the importance of synchrotron light-based techniques in various environments. Some projects are also anticipated to evolve into commercial fee-for-service analysis programs. We are presently in the process of running another 14 projects, and we have commitment from three Saskatchewan-based industries to co-fund CLSI research associate positions. Future objectives include the pharmaceutical sector and plans to evolve and diversify into untapped areas, such as ag-biotech and advanced materials. The applied science program will continue to grow as the beamlines come on-line. The only way CLSI can reach full potential is to continue to work with partners, and to consider incentives for beamteam members, and the user community at large. Please stay tuned for further developments: working together we can reach objectives as limitless as our imaginations! ==================================================================== 12. Infrared beamlines (Contact: tim.may@lightsource.ca) A design review covering the Infrared beamlines was held with Advanced Design Consulting on Sep 26-5. The UHV, rough vacuum and optics sections of the beamlines were examined and issues clarified. Detailed design of the chambers and support equipment continues. A second round of the Mid IR FTIR installation and training occurred with Tim Rider of Bruker Optics last week. Several components on the Hyperion microscope were installed: the Attenuated Total Reflection, Grazing Angle, and 36x objectives. The single bounce ATR and Photoacoustic accessories were also set up. The optical table, control rack, and utilities have been installed in the Mid IR hutch. HVAC equipment is being installed in the next month as well. The Far IR high resolution spectrometer is shipping from Bruker, Germany, to CLS on Oct 17; installation is scheduled to occur in November. ==================================================================== 13. New Staff and Postings (Contact: nancy.fetch@lightsource.ca) We are looking for two Postdoctoral Research Associates with a background in geochemistry. Please check the "careers" section of our homepage (http://www.lightsource.ca) or contact jeffrey.cutler@lightsource.ca Dr. Pavel Dudin is a Visiting Scholar from the Kurchatov Synchrotron Radiation Center (KSRC) in Moscow and will be working with Dr. Konstantine Kaznatcheev on the Soft X-ray Spectromicroscopy project. Pavel will be with us until the end of May 2004 under the auspices of an MOU signed between CLS/UofS and KSRC/Moscow State University. Dr. Ning Chen has officially assumed the appointment of Beamline Scientist for the Hard X-ray micro-XAFS beamline as of October 1, working with Dr. De-Tong Jiang. Dr. Chen was the Cogema Postdoctoral Research Fellow at CLS for the previous two years. Tracy Walker is our new Outreach Coordinator and will working half-time as a member of the Business Development team. Tracy brings eight years of teaching experience to CLS. Dr. Yongfeng Hu is our newest Beamline Scientist, and will be overseeing the operation of the Variable Line Spacing Plane Grating Monochromator beamline. Yongfeng comes to us from the Synchrotron Radiation Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Dr. Colleen Christensen is our new half-time Industry Liaison Scientist for Life Sciences. Colleen has been the Project Manager of the BioMedical Imaging Therapy project for the last two years. She will continue this function half-time. Dylan Maxwell is the Science Associate who will be working with Dr. Brian Yates in the Optics Metrology Lab. Dylan is a recent U of S graduate with an Engineering Physics and Computer Science background and had worked with Brian this past summer as a Research Assistant. Alan Duffy is the Science Associate for the Canadian Macromolecular Crystallography Facility and holds an M.Sc in Physics from the U of S. Alan will be working with Dr. Pawel Grochulski and starts on November 1/03. ==================================================================== CLS E-News is an electronic newsletter designed to keep users informed about developments at the Canadian Light Source, the national synchrotron user facility located at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. Current and past issues of CLS E-News are available on the CLS web site: http://www.lightsource.ca/enews/archives.php To unsubscribe please go to http://www.lightsource.ca/enews/signup.php. We welcome suggestions for topics and content. =========================================================== Last modified: 2009-10-05 13:10:10 |
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