"Expanding the Synchrotron Community"

Scott Calvin
Sarah Lawrence College

Abstract:

Since synchrotron light based research began more than three decades ago, the field has matured, with the community expanding to include a group well beyond a core group of experts. This has necessitated the development of education and training techniques, including textbooks, short courses, and online communities. In addition, the use of synchrotron radiation for scientific investigations no longer requires years of training, as can be seen by the increasing involvement of undergraduates, high school students, and people from outside the core physical sciences.
Using the creation of a new introductory textbook on EXAFS analysis as an example, this talk will examine some of the questions that have arisen during this process, such as: 1) What order is best for teaching material? Theory first, or practical application? Data collection or analysis? 2) What mathematical and scientific background is necessary to learn and use a given technique? 3) How much training is required before someone is competent to do worthwhile research in a given technique? One 3-day course? A summer apprenticeship? 3) How much responsibility do the people doing the training have for assuring that the quality of the resulting published work is high, and adheres to the standards for the field?