Science Highlights
Direct and Efficient Utilization of Solid-phase Iron by Diatoms –
Contacts: Elizabeth Shoenfelt and Benjamin Bostick, Columbia University
Diatoms, single-celled marine algae that create beautiful, symmetric cell
walls composed of silica, are critical to ocean ecosystems. Responsible for up
to 20% of photosynthesis in oceans, these phytoplankton are also an important
part of Earth’s carbon cycles. The potential of diatoms and other
phytoplankton to sequester atmospheric CO2 has led to geoengineering
ideas like “iron fertilization” of oceans. Read more...
An Oxygen-insensitive Hydrogen Evolution Catalyst Coated by a
Molybdenum-based Layer for Overall Water Splitting –
Contacts: Dimosthenis Sokaras, SSRL, Angel Garcia-Esparza and Kazuhiro
Takanabe, KAUST
Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a promising carrier of energy for a
future that uses more sustainable sources of fuel. H2 created from
splitting H2O using renewable energy methods could result in no
carbon footprint energy use. While methods of water splitting are being
developed, reverse reactions are a problem. Read more...
See also: SLAC News Feature - Researchers Develop a New Catalyst for
Water Splitting
More SSRL-Related Science
How a Single Chemical Bond Balances Cells between Life and Death
Heterogeneous catalysts are typically complex materials and many of the key
details of the way that they convert reactants to products remain unknown.
However, the breadth of characterization techniques available at SSRL allows
for studies that are providing critical information on the precise structural
and electronic structure of working catalysts. The impact of SSRL in catalyst
characterization is growing, and nicely illustrated in a recent article in
Chemical & Engineering News. Read more...
Note: ACS access may be required.
Beam Line Update
First Light at Beam Line 15-2
We have obtained first light at Beam Line 15-2! SSRL's latest
experimental station will be dedicated to high resolution x-ray spectroscopy
for a range of experiments, including studies of photocatalysts and other
catalytic reactions, metalloproteins, and battery electrodes.
When completed, the beam line will produce a highly focused beam that will
enable time-resolved pump-probe experiments, where a sample is first
illuminated with optical light and then changes are examined over time using
rapid pulses of x-rays. There is still a significant amount of installation and
commissioning work to be done before the beam line is ready for user
experiments, and this effort will continue into the fall when SSRL resumes user
operations after its annual summer shutdown.
More information on SSRL's beam line and instrumentation development
plans to meet the evolving needs of the user community is in our Strategic Plan.
Nominations for UEC Membership and Annual
Awards
Call for Nominations for SSRL and LCLS User Executive Committees
(UEC)
We encourage your help to identify candidates who may be interested in
standing for election to either the SSRL or LCLS User Executive Committee
(UECs).
We will then create ballots and begin the election process which will
conclude during the Annual Users’ Conference.
Submit Nominations for Lytle and Klein Awards
Please take a few minutes to reflect on accomplishments from your group and
the overall user community. Recognize outstanding achievements of your
colleagues, postdocs, students (or yourself) by submitting nominations for the
following awards.
Melvin P. Klein Scientific Development
Award – Submit Nominations by August 1
This $1,000 award honoring Mel Klein's many contributions recognizes
research accomplishments of undergraduate/graduate students or postdoctoral
fellows within three years of receiving their Ph.D. This award provides peer
recognition and helps to promote dissemination of results based on work
performed at SSRL. The nomination package should include the candidate’s
CV, letters of recommendation from the advisor and colleagues, as well as an
abstract written by the candidate describing the SSRL related experiments,
scientific results, and plans to present the findings.
Farrel W. Lytle Award – Submit
Nominations by August 10
The $1,000 Lytle Award was established to promote technical or scientific
accomplishments in synchrotron radiation-based science and to foster
collaboration and efficient use of beam time at SSRL. SSRL users and staff are
eligible to be nominated for the Lytle Award. Letters of nominations should
include a summary of the individual's contributions and why they should be
recognized through this award. Supporting letters are welcome.
Send nomination packages for these awards to knotts@slac.stanford.edu by the
above deadlines. These awards will be presented at the SSRL/LCLS
Annual Users’ Conference, September 27-29, 2017. The recipients of
the Spicer and Klein awards will be asked to give a presentation on his/her
research during the plenary session of the Users' Conference on September
28.
Nominate a Candidate for the LCLS Young Investigator
Award
LCLS is inviting nominations for an award to recognize exceptional
contributions from scientists in the early stages of their research career. Nomination Form
Submit Abstracts by September 20 to Compete for Joe Wong Poster
Awards
The user science poster
session during our Annual Users' Conference on September 28 is a great time
to share your latest results and compete for a poster prize.
The Joe Wong Poster Awards
have been established to promote multi-disciplinary interactions among the user
community, to recognize the best poster presentations at the Annual Users'
Conference, and specifically to help students in preparing for their science
careers. The poster awards are open to users of both the SSRL and the
LCLS.
The best poster
presentation by an undergraduate or graduate student (BS or PhD student user)
will be awarded $500. Up to two more posters will be selected for a $250 award.
Presenters at any stage of their research career and in any field can compete
for the $250 award.
You must register and
submit a poster abstract by September 20 to participate in the poster
session. Students presenting posters get free registration at the Annual
Users' Conference. Abstract Submission
Upcoming Events
7th International Conferences on Hard X-ray Photoelectron
Spectroscopy, September 11-15, 2017, Berkeley, CA
We are looking forward to an exciting week of the latest developments in
HAXPES, with plenary and invited speakers, contributed talks selected
from the abstracts, and two poster sessions. The conference has also been
endorsed by several major organizations and there will be various scientific
equipment manufacturers participating. Conference website
SSRL/LCLS Users' Conference & Workshops, September 27-29,
2017, Menlo Park, CA
Register to attend the SSRL/LCLS Users’ Conference on September 27-29,
2017 to share results over the last year and learn about new capabilities,
technology advances and facility plans. Please see the Conference website
The activities scheduled over this multi-day event provide many
opportunities to interact with colleagues and discuss current/future
capabilities and science. A number of focused-topic workshops are
scheduled on September 27 and 29 with the plenary session activities, including
keynote talks by Henry Chapman (DESY) and Serena DeBeer (Max Planck), taking
place on September 28.
Students presenting a poster will receive free registration and free lunch
during the Users' Conference. For everyone else, catered lunch during the
Users' Conference is available for an additional $30 fee at the time of
registration (or you may provide/purchase your own lunch at the SLAC Cafe or
Starbucks).
We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Users’ Conference. Early
registration ends September 20.
Cathy Knotts and Leilani Conradson, Managers, SSRL and LCLS Users
Services & the SSRL/LCLS UEC and Joint Users' Conference Organizing
Committee
5th High-Power Laser Workshop, September 27-28, 2017, Menlo Park,
CA
The 5th HPL workshop will be held co-jointly with the general SSRL/LCLS
Users' Meeting to bring together the international high-energy density
physics community with the LCLS user groups. The workshop will have a dedicated
day to discuss recent experimental results from matter in extreme conditions
enabled by the combination of high-power laser drivers with the world-class
LCLS x-ray beam. Although registration is separate, participants will
take part in the general Users' Meeting plenary session on the second day
and further have a session related to the MEC instrument. The goal is to
discuss the scientific opportunities at the MEC instrument, propose future
standard configurations, and provide time to discuss important physics
proposals and experimental needs for cutting-edge research at MEC. Workshop Registration
User Research Administration
SSRL Beam Time Request Deadlines
- August 7, 2017 – X-ray/VUV requests for beam time beginning
fall 2017.
- September 8, 2017 – Macromolecular Crystallography requests for beam
time beginning fall 2017.
SSRL Proposal Deadlines
- September 1, 2017 – X-ray / VUV
- December 1, 2017 – Macromolecular Crystallography
Submit proposals and beam time requests through the User Portal.
The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) is a third-generation
light source producing extremely bright x-rays for basic and applied
research. SSRL attracts and supports scientists from around the world who
use its state-of-the-art capabilities to make discoveries that benefit society.
SSRL, a U.S. DOE Office of Science national user facility, is a Directorate of
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, operated by Stanford University for the
U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. The SSRL Structural
Molecular Biology Program is supported by the DOE Office of Biological and
Environmental Research, and by the National Institutes of Health, National
Institute of General Medical Sciences. For more information about SSRL science,
operations and schedules, visit http://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu.
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Questions? Comments? Contact Lisa Dunn
