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Updates & Announcements

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry Visits the ALS

Secretary Perry visited the ALS and other locations at Berkeley Lab on March 27. Guided by ALS Interim Director Steve Kevan and Berkeley Lab Director Mike Witherell, he talked with users and staff about microtomography work on ceramic-matrix composites, battery research using STXM, and the Center for X-Ray Optics’ EUV lithography work. See photographs from the tour. Read more »

ALS Hosts “Five-Way” Meeting of DOE Light Sources

On April 23, the ALS hosted a meeting of the five DOE-funded light sources (ALS, SSRL, LCLS, APS, and NSLS-II). These “five-way” meetings, held biannually, bring together representatives from each facility to discuss common interests and issues. Topics of discussion included open data policies, business software, optics and detector development, workforce and career development, and diversity. Read more »

Share Your Photos to Celebrate the International Day of Light

Lightsources.org, an international collaboration of light sources, is participating in the International Day of Light (May 16) with a photo wall on its website. Users of any of the member facilities, including the ALS, are invited to share a picture of their work, research, or day-to-day life in science on the theme of “light in science.” Read more »

ALS Doctoral Fellowship Applications Due June 30

ALS Doctoral Fellowships in Residence allow early-career researchers to spend a year at the ALS working at the frontier of synchrotron radiation research and helping advance state-of-the-art techniques and applications. Applications will be accepted from June 1–June 30. Read more »

Users’ Executive Committee (UEC) Update

The UEC has elected Fanny Rodolakis (APS, Argonne National Laboratory) as vice chair. She will serve as UEC chair in 2019. Planning for the User Meeting, to be held October 2–4, is now in full swing, and the UEC is pleased to announce a new, full-day tutorial session on October 4 geared towards introducing new users and young scientists to a broad range of ALS techniques. Read more »

Experiment Safety Assessment Form (ESAF) to Replace ESS

The ALS is transitioning from the Experiment Safety Sheet (ESS) to the Experiment Safety Assessment Form (ESAF). Although the ESS software will continue to be available for several months, we will encourage most users to use the ESAF system. Follow instructions in your email reminder to access the appropriate system for your beamline. For beam time after April 12, most users will be expected to use the new ESAF tool. Read more »

Next Online User Forum—March 1

Join the ALS Users’ Executive Committee, ALS staff, and the ALS-U project team for the next online user forum, Thursday, March 1 at 10 a.m. PT. The agenda will include a UEC welcome and updates, opportunities for magnetism, spintronics, and quantum materials research, and an update on COSMIC microscopy. Questions from the virtual audience are welcome. Read more »

User Forum Series on the ALS Upgrade

On January 22, the third in a series of online ALS user forums was held on the Advanced Light Source Upgrade (ALS-U) project. Presentations included an overview of the project, an update on the ALS-U beamline selection process, and ideas for the future of soft matter research at the ALS. The next forum will be held Thursday, March 1, at 10 a.m. PT. Read more »

March 2018 Call for General User Proposals

The User Office is accepting new General User Proposals (GUPs) from scientists who wish to conduct research at the ALS in the 2018-2 (August–December) cycle. The deadline for submissions is March 7, 2018. Applicants are reminded that they may request joint access to the Molecular Foundry, a nanoscience user facility at Berkeley Lab, to support their ALS activities. Read more »

New Year’s Message from Interim Director Steve Kevan

I am delighted to serve as interim ALS division director in the wake of Roger Falcone’s departure. I want first to thank Roger for his wonderful leadership. Over my 35 years of service, it has been exhilarating to see the ALS develop into a powerhouse facility that has attracted an exceptional staff and user community, and I look forward to working with staff and users on all ALS and ALS-U activities. Read more »