Media

Media Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 7 2006

CSI at the CLS:
Forensics Highlighted at Canadian Light Source Users’ Meeting at the U of S

Television’s CSI sleuths use cutting-edge technology to help solve their weekly crimes, but they haven’t used a synchrotron – yet.

Using super-bright synchrotron light to fight crime is the subject of one of five workshops at the Canadian Light Source Annual Users’ Meeting June 16 and 17, being held in conjunction with the 3 rd Northern Lights Conference of the Canadian Federation of Biological Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) in Saskatoon.

“Forensics draws upon a vast array of techniques from a number of scientific disciplines,” says workshop organizer and CLS scientist Tom Kotzer. “Forensic analysis involves studying all kinds of different samples in various states of preservation in a way that is impartial, reliable and, if possible, non-destructive. Synchrotrons are a great tool for meeting many of these requirements.”

“Synchrotron and Advanced Analytical Techniques in the Forensic Sciences” features presentations by experts who use synchrotrons to analyze fingerprints, investigate toxins, counter the threat of nuclear terrorism, identify human remains and estimate age-at-death. The afternoon workshop begins June 16 at 1:00 p.m. in Arts Room 146 at the U of S.

Visit www.lightsource.ca/uac/meeting2006/workshops.php for more information on this and other workshops taking place on June 16. They include:

International synchrotron experts in life science research present their experiences using a spectrum of techniques to study living things, from cells to whole organisms.

Protein crystallography is a powerful technique for understanding biology at the molecular level, paving the way for new drugs and a greater understanding of disease.

Photon-In-Photon-Out spectroscopy uses the interaction of synchrotron X-rays with matter to understand how atoms and molecules behave, leading to the development of advanced materials such as organic light emitting diodes, molecular wires and next-generation computer chips.

Studies using terahertz light — with wavelengths, from a micron to a millimeter -- have only recently become possible, opening news windows in areas from medical imaging to chemistry.

The Annual Users’ Meeting takes place June 17 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Geology and Biology Buildings at the U of S. The meeting will feature an address by Isabelle Blain, Vice-President of Research Grants and Scholarships with the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) on research funding in Canada, facility updates by CLS staff, and the presentation of the first research results obtained using the CLS. As well, presentations will be made by synchrotron experts from across Canada and around the world. The meeting concludes with a poster session and banquet, featuring U of S president Peter MacKinnon as guest speaker.

Note to Editors: A condensed schedule with speakers and topics of interest is posted at www.lightsource.ca/media/mediatipsheet.php. Media planning to attend are asked to contact Matthew Dalzell. Further information may be had by visiting: www.lightsource.ca/uac/meeting2006/ (CLS Annual Users’ Meeting) and www.cfbs.org/annual49-programsummary.html (Northern Lights Conference).

For more information contact:

Matthew Dalzell
Communications Coordinator
Canadian Light Source Inc
Ph: (306) 657-3739 Fax: (306) 657-3535
Cell: 227-0978
matthew.dalzell@lightsource.ca
www.lightsource.ca

Last modified: 2012-01-19 17:01:44