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May 15-17, 2006 Quite a Remarkable Spring: Notes from the 2006 NSLS-CFN Joint Users' MeetingA rosy future was forecast for Brookhaven's user facilities at the first-ever joint meeting of the user communities for the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) and the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), held May 15-17, 2006.
At the main meeting on May 16, held in BNL's Berkner Hall, officials from the Laboratory, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science, and the New York State congressional delegation painted an optimistic picture for an audience of several hundred current and prospective users of Brookhaven's cutting-edge science facilities - those that are currently in operation, planned and under construction, or eagerly anticipated. The Laboratory's interim director, Sam Aronson, welcomed the participants and outlined Brookhaven's "extremely strong science agenda in terms of ongoing research and new facilities that will maintain Brookhaven as a leader in world science." He said meetings like this are important places in which to foster new research collaborations and get updated on the status of work at the Lab. He said that the Laboratory's highest priority is the design and construction of the NSLS-II, which, along with the CFN, will give Brookhaven a powerful combination of cutting-edge research tools. Last fall, the DOE granted "Critical Decision Zero (CD-0) status to National Synchrotron Light Source-II (NSLS-II), the planned world-leading successor to the NSLS. Later this year, Critical Decision One (CD-1) will yield a construction plan and a site decision will be made. "The NSLS-II will allow our science to continue to flourish and expand, and keep the United States in the forefront of light-source science," Aronson said. Citing Brookhaven's expected contribution to energy research, Aronson said that work here "will be vital to that effort for the U.S. economy and energy security." He said that the DOE's forward-looking investments in user facilities "will eventually change the face of the Laboratory. The completion and operation of the CFN and NSLS-II will profoundly change the balance of research here."
Following Aronson, Stony Brook University provost Bob McGrath gave an update on the search for a new Laboratory director. The search committee has created a list of potential candidates and is contacting key individuals of interest. McGrath said that the committee has a list of 40 people and will begin serious interviews with 10 of those candidates. The committee expects to have a recommendation to Brookhaven Science Associates in September. The American Competitiveness Initiative Pat Dehmer, director of DOE's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, outlined the chain of events that led to the Laboratory's bright future outlook, which she termed "a quite remarkable spring." Focusing on the rollout of the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) which she called "great news for the physical sciences," Dehmer explained that the ACI doubles funding for DOE's Office Science over the next 10 years. One of the ACI's focus areas is the tools of science, described as "unique, expensive, large-scale tools beyond the means of a single organization." Dehmer said that she had anticipated that funding for Office of Science programs would be flat or would decline slightly, but that when the ACI was announced during the President's State of the Union speech in January, "a miracle occurred." Projected funding for the Office of Basic Energy Sciences has increased by 25 percent, in large part because the Office's work "aligns almost 100 percent with the ACI goals."
While Dehmer was optimistic about the construction of the NSLS-II, she cautioned that the project would have a long construction life, which will be filled with unanticipated challenges. "You are embarking on a wonderful journey," she said. "You should be euphoric…and frightened. And you will vacillate between the two." She concluded her remarks by urging employees and users to contact their congressional representatives to thank them for the support that resulted in this "completely unexpected" funding picture. "You must realize how difficult it was to make that happen," she said, citing the war, last fall's hurricanes and other budgetary pressures. "Politicians are people too. They deserve your thanks, and they need to hear from you." Speaking after Dehmer, Congressman Tim Bishop said that he is "so proud of this Lab, the people who work here, and the work that's moving America forward in so many different ways." To see the administration's proposed investments in science is "encouraging indeed," he said. Citing the FY06 budget language stating that it is the "sense of the Congress" that NSLS-II be built at Brookhaven, Bishop pledged to continue pushing for that result. Bishop said the full funding of the CFN is also a testament to the faith that the Office of Science has in Brookhaven, as well as to the "strenuous advocacy" of the New York congressional delegation. "We speak with one voice on the importance of this Lab," he said, and urged attendees to stay in touch with their representatives. "Be forceful in your advocacy," he said. "We value your professional expertise, and these are important issues." NSLS-II Update The morning's next speaker, Steve Dierker, BNL Associate Director for Light Sources, is leading the effort to bring the NSLS-II to BNL. Noting that "the CFN will be producing materials that will be crying out to be characterized," he said that development of nanoscale materials will be critical for the development of future energy technologies.
"NSLS-II will be brighter than any existing light source. None of today's light sources were designed to probe materials with one-nanometer spatial resolution and 0.1 meV energy resolution," he said. "The changes that NSLS-II brings will be transformative." Dierker briefly described plans for the Joint Photon Sciences Institute (JPSI), intended to foster development of new techniques and capabilities. He thanked Stony Brook's Bob McGrath for helping to secure a $30 million commitment from New York State for a building to house the proposed institute. "JPSI will serve as an intellectual center for development and application of the photon sciences and as a gateway for NSLS-II users," he said. Dierker showed new drawings depicting the proposed facilities, and noted that there have been some changes in the design, in particular, the substitution of a full-energy booster for a full-energy linac injector. He stated that 99 people are currently working on NSLS-II, and predicted that the programs would overlap for less than one year before both will be fully and independently staffed. "The NSLS-II will be essential for energy security, and important for U.S. industry, "he concluded. "It will enable 'grand challenge' science in many diverse fields." The Center for Functional Nanomaterials Doon Gibbs, Associate Laboratory Director for Basic Energy Sciences and Interim Director of the CFN, said that an active search is underway for a permanent CFN director, and he urged attendees to bring promising candidates to the attention of the search committee. He said a broader search effort will begin this fall, with an eye to have a permanent director on board by October 2007. Gibbs observed that the CFN building's structural shell is complete, and that more than half of the Center's equipment will be ordered by the end of May.
The CFN, whose focus will be energy security, has added nine new scientific and technical staff members, bringing the total fulltime staff to over 20. He added that the staff is becoming more collaborative and using bigger teams. Gibbs said that along with NSLS-II, the CFN will "enable the nanoscience revolution," and he said that the joint user meetings should take place every year or two. "It is very significant and gratifying that so many users have come here from all over," he said. "We should continue to have such joint workshops because they perform a valuable service and bring us together." "It really has been fun being interim director," he said. "It's an exciting time to lead this project." NSLS Update An update on the work of the NSLS was given by Chi-Chang Kao, Interim NSLS Chairman. He said that FY06 was a "tough year," but observed that no layoffs were necessary, and he said that funding prospects for FY07 remain very good. Kao said the NSLS continues to serve some 2,300 users per year, and announced plans for a BNL User Center to give users "one-stop shopping," for functions including check-in, badging, and housing. The user center will also have extended hours on nights and weekends. He said the NSLS hopes to continue to add more staff on the floor, which he termed important for both science and safety. "More staff, then more beamlines," he said. Kao addressed the issue of orbit stability at the facility, noting that the staff running the 65 operating beamlines is not the same staff that built them.
"There has been some lack of understanding of the sensitivity of beamline optics to electron beam motion," he said. "The beamlines need regular alignment and performance calibration." Along with its usual complement of materials science users, Kao noted an "up tick" in the number of biomedical imaging users. A technique called Diffraction Enhanced Imaging or DEI has been developed to image soft tissue samples and delivers 8 to 33 times greater contrast than digital mammograms. "This could eventually have a very wide impact in the health industry," he said. In conclusion, Kao promised both an aggressive upgrade plan for the facility and close NSLS-CFN coordination. Building Safe Nanomaterials As science ventures into the nanoworld, concerns will arise over the potential risks involved in producing and working with materials with properties that may not have previously been observed. Vicki Colvin, a chemistry professor from Rice University, spoke about developing nanomaterials with low environmental impacts. The future of nanotechnology promises answers to key questions in science, she said. Of particular interest to Long Islanders and others in the northeast United States is a technology to remove arsenic from water efficiently and in large quantities. But in considering such advances in technology, scientists must deal with what Colvin termed the "Wow to Yuck Trajectory," in which the environmental impacts of new technology are only revealed after the technology is in wide use. Examples include DDT, which cured malaria but endangered birds, and refrigerants, which cooled our houses but led to a hole in the ozone layer. "Early examination of nanomaterials' effects will create a responsible technology," Colvin said. "Scientific data and analysis should take the debate about the risks of nanotechnology to the highest possible technical level." Colvin illustrated some of the challenges inherent in attempting to answer questions of risk by considering the question: Are single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) toxic? She pointed out that there are 20 major types of SWNTs, and four manufacturing types. All of these types have different lengths, different purification methods, and 10 possible surface coatings, for a possible 50,000 SWNT samples. "It will be necessary to map out basic structure-function relationships for nanomaterials and biological impacts," she said. "Fundamental nanostructure will include both chemical and physical properties." NSLS User Science Talks Following a lunch break, users heard from several scientists who have conducted research at the NSLS. Henry Chapman, a staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, spoke on "Ultrafast Coherent Diffraction Imaging with a Soft X-Ray Free-Electron Laser." This vacuum ultra-violet free-electron laser is located at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg, Germany. It generates pulses just 25 femtoseconds in duration with more than a trillion photons per pulse, and is the first free-electron laser to produce soft x-rays. It is ideal for high-resolution holography and imaging, Chapman said, and he showed this by displaying diffraction images and measurements. Next, a talk on the "Engineering of Carbon Nanotube Structures" was presented by Pulickel M. Ajayan from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His talk focused on recent developments in his laboratory to fabricate carbon-nanotube-based structures that are tailored for various applications. Specifically, he discussed how he and his group create branched nanotube and nanotube-hybrid structures for applications such as sensors, electrical interconnects, and filters. Before the afternoon break, Lawrence Shapiro, an associate professor at Columbia University, spoke on "Decoding Cell Adhesion with Protein Crystallography." Cell adhesion - connections that allow cells to stick together - is critical to the formation of tissues and complex cellular networks, such as those that make up the nervous system. These connections are made possible by a few cell-surface protein families. Shapiro discussed how, at the NSLS and other synchrotrons, high-resolution protein-crystal structures are beginning to reveal the atomic-level mechanisms of cell adhesion. Other Notables Each year, the NSLS Users' Executive Committee (UEC) presents one user with the UEC Community Service Award, which honors hard work and dedication toward bettering the experience of users and the user community. At the main meeting, UEC Chair Peter Stephens presented this year's award to Bob Sweet (BNL-Biology). More details on this year's award can be found here.
At the conclusion of the main meeting, participants attended the annual poster session and vendor exhibition. Hors d'oeuvres were served as attendees mingled and talked, making for a lively, enjoyable event. Awards were presented to the top student and postdoc posters, which were on display in the NSLS lobby during the month of June. The winners were: Elena Loginova (Rutgers University), Seo-Young Kwak (BNL-NSLS), Shuguo Ma (BNL-Chemistry), Minhua Shao (Stony Brook University), Jae-Hyuk Her (Stony Brook University), and Ariane Kretlow (Robert Koch Institute, Germany). Each winner received a BNL certificate and a $50 American Express gift certificate. Additionally, the Synchrotron Catalysis Consortium gave out two poster prizes of its own. First prize went to Shao, and second prize was awarded to Wen Wen (BNL-Chemistry). During the two days after the main meeting, workshops were held at locations across the Laboratory. They were "Synchrotron Catalysis Consortium: New Opportunities for in-situ XAFS Studies of Nanocatalysis," organized by Simon Bare (UOP) and Anatoly Frenkel (Yeshiva University); "Soft Matter and Biomolecular Materials: X-ray Scattering Enabled by High Brightness Beamlines," organized by Ben Hsiao (Stony Brook University), Lin Yang (BNL-NSLS), Elaine DiMasi (BNL-NSLS), and Ron Pindak (BNL-NSLS); "Nanoscale Correlations and Heterostructures," organized by Jim Misewich (BNL-Material Sciences) and Tony Heinz (Columbia University); "Chemical and Biological Applications of X-ray Emission Spectroscopy," organized by James Penner-Hahn (University of Michigan) and Trevor Tyson (New Jersey Institute of Technology); Platforms for the Integration of Biological Systems into Nanomaterials and Interfaces," organized by Oleg Gang (BNL-CFN), Daniel Van Der Lelie (BNL-Biology), and Molly Frame (Stony Brook University); and "VUV Radiometry," organized by Jeff Keister (SFA, Inc). Workshop Summaries
Users' Meeting Photos ARTICLE BY: Kay Cordtz and Laura Mgrdichian PHOTOS BY: Roger Stoutenburgh |
The National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, is a national user research
facility funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Science. The NSLS operates two electron
storage rings: an X-Ray ring and a Vacuum UltraViolet (VUV) ring which provide intense light spanning the electromagnetic
spectrum from the infrared through x-rays. Each year over 2300 scientists from universities, industries and government
labs perform research at the NSLS.
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