by Cindy Lee
The San Francisco Bay Area is a hotbed for light sources.
Uta Ruett, senior advisor at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) said, “We have a very special ecosystem here with ALS, SSRL, and LCLS,” as she named the two synchrotrons and one linear accelerator. “We are all less than 45 miles apart,” she added.
Despite this proximity, many staff members of the Advanced Light Source (ALS) had never been to the SSRL and vice versa. And so, Ruett and ALS Photon Science Operations Deputy Dula Parkinson organized an ALS staff visit to the SSRL to build bridges between their teams during the summer maintenance shutdown of both facilities. The field trip idea proved popular, and over 60 ALS staff members traveled across the Bay, with over 50 SSRL staff members volunteering to host.
Ruett and three ALS speakers set a buoyant tone from the start of the day. Ruett presented an overview of the two facilities in the context of light sources within the DOE complex. Then, she outlined the goals for the visit:
- Enhancing Visibility: Strengthening the profile and impact of x-ray science in the Bay Area.
- Joint Proposals: Preparing for DOE proposal calls that encourage collaborations with other DOE facilities.
- Coordinated Efforts: Sharing information on our R&D initiatives to optimize effectiveness.
- Staff Training and Development: Facilitating knowledge exchange and discussing the latest advancements.
- Dark Period Preparation: Gearing up for the upcoming dark period at the ALS
These areas are all essential in the short-, mid-, and long-term planning for both facilities.
One salient topic was the ALS Upgrade project. SSRL Beam Line Systems Division Director Dan Harrington commented that the upcoming dark time will be rather disruptive. His description inspired ALS Deputy for Strategy Ashley White to contemplate the meaning of the word “disruption,” typically considered an annoying disturbance.
“But the other definition I see here is radical change to an existing industry due to technological innovation,” said White. “So there’s a radical technological innovation in the machinery of the upgrade itself, but we also have the opportunity to disrupt the way that our light sources work together and interact.”
Next, Ken Goldberg and Alex Hexemer gave overviews of the teams they lead at the ALS, Photon Science Development and Computing, respectively. They shared ongoing projects as well as upcoming challenges, both fertile grounds for collaboration with SSRL staff. With this background in mind, it was time to explore.
The SSRL hosts divided the ALS guests into groups for a tour. Smaller cohorts could better fit into hutches around the synchrotron. More importantly, they could now have more personalized discussions about similar research and complementary techniques. With participants of all career stages and interests in a wide variety of research fields or instrumentation, conversation flourished.
Some continued their chats over a pizza lunch, while others went on side quests to examine detectors and check out lab spaces. Reconvening in the auditorium, it was clear that the day had been fruitful. ALS and SSRL staff were intermingled in the seats, and many offered commentary on what they had learned, the commonalities they shared, and the brainstorms in the works.
Thomas Weiss, group leader for BioSAXS at SSRL, looked forward to future meetings with more focused groups. “I saw some faces that I knew before, and I also learned of some new people. That gets the personal connection going,” he said.
Raja Vyshnavi Sriramoju, computer systems engineer at the ALS, could already foresee an area for joining forces. “With healthy collaboration, we can navigate the newer DOE guidelines regarding data and other computing needs,” she said.
Many colleagues chimed in with their impressions of the day and ideas for the future. Some proposed “dropping by” each other’s beamtimes, while others envisioned formal working groups or synchrotron schools. All were eager for SSRL to visit the ALS next.
“This is just the start,” Ruett exclaimed. “We’ve broken the ice for more collaboration!”
With gratitude to:
- Michelle Steger, Uta Ruett, Dula Parkinson, and Ashley White for their extensive planning and organization
- SSRL tour guides Tom Rabedeau, Dan Harrington, Sikhumbuzo Masina, Marco Reinhard, Cara Laasch, Olga Kraynis, Thomas Weiss, Partha Paul, Makoto Hashimoto, Vivek Thampy, Ross Arthur, and Chi-Chang Kao
- All SSRL and ALS participants for a lively and convivial day
Watch a video recap: