Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peptoid Nanosheets Offer a Diversity of Functionalities
Researchers at the ALS have recently observed peptoid nanosheets—two-dimensional biomimetic materials with customizable properties—as they self-assemble at an oil-water interface. This new development opens the door to designing peptoid nanosheets of increasing structural complexity and chemical functionality for a broad range of applications, including improved chemical sensors and separators, and safer, more effective drug delivery vehicles. Read more…
Scientists used small-molecule x-ray crystallography to verify and characterize the first non-functionalized fullerene with a heptagonal ring in the cage. This new molecule changes the definition of a classical fullerene and expands the range of structural possibilities for endohedral fullerenes. Read more…
Elaine Chan Fosters ALS and Molecular Foundry Collaborations
In an ongoing effort to build closer working relationships between Berkeley Lab’s light source and nanoscale research center, the ALS and the Molecular Foundry recently appointed scientist Elaine Chan to a new role as a joint ALS/Foundry project scientist. Read more…
A series of workshops is proposed as part of this year’s User Meeting, which will be held Oct. 5-7, 2015. The ALS Users’ Executive Committee (UEC) and meeting organizers are currently having an open call for proposals to host workshops during the meeting and invite all interested groups to submit suggestions through the UEC. The workshops provide valuable forums for detailed presentations and in-depth discussions on issues related to synchrotron-based science, and meeting organizers are particularly interested in proposals on rapidly evolving scientific topics and future directions for the ALS. The deadline is May 15.
Doctoral Fellowships in Residence: Applications Due June 30
The ALS Doctoral Fellowship in Residence is a one-year appointment for students who have passed their Ph.D. qualifying or comprehensive verbal and written exams (generally third-year students) to acquire hands-on scientific training and develop professional maturity for independent research. Applicants must be full-time, currently enrolled students in a Ph.D. program in the physical or biological sciences, pursuing thesis research based on the use of synchrotron radiation. Read more…
New Schedule, Big Shutdown
The upcoming long-term operating schedule has been published and users will note that it includes an extended shutdown period (October 26, 2015-January 13, 2016) for the ALS. The lengthy shutdown is in part because it spans the Thanksgiving and Holiday shutdown periods, as well as being indicative of the amount of time required to implement major upgrades. The main project for this shutdown is the completion of the final phase of the Storage Ring Radio Frequency (SRRF) Upgrade. Read more…
Each month the communications team publishes two science highlights in ALSNews, yet there are many other interesting science stories that we would like to share with ALS staff and the user community. Since 2011, we have published more than 45 Science Briefs, short articles (~250 words) that provide a quick snapshot of recently published work. Here are the most recent contributions:
Notification of General User Proposal and Approved Program Results
The Proposal Study Panel (PSP) met April 23-24 to oversee and finalize the scoring of General User Proposals for the 2015-2 operating cycle, and to make recommendations to the ALS Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) on Approved Program applications. Allocation meetings for each beamline will take place in May. Read more…
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, newly appointed DOE Deputy Secretary, visited Berkeley Lab March 24. During her visit she hosted a town hall meeting and toured the ALS and talked to our scientists.
Operations Update
For the user runs from March 19 to April 13, 2015, the beam reliability [(time scheduled – time lost)/time scheduled)] was 96.7%. For this period, the mean time between failures (MTBF) was 39.1 hours, and the mean time to recovery (MTTR) was 58 minutes. There were no significant interruptions.
Detailed information on reliability is available on the ALS reliability bulletin board, which is located in the hallway between the ALS and the control room in Building 80. Questions about beam reliability should be directed to Dave Richardson (DBRichardson@lbl.gov, x4376).
ALS in the News
