AUSTRALIAN SYNCHROTRON UPDATE -- OCTOBER 2005
News from the Australian Synchrotron project
1. PROJECT UPDATE
* Governance structure
* Installation progress
2. BEAMLINE NEWS
* Beamline Advisory Group
* Beamline scientists for IR and Imaging
* PX and PD Beamline contracts
3. PEOPLE NEWS
* Cameron Kepert wins Physical Scientist of the Year
* Recent visitors
4. FORTHCOMING EVENTS
* ICN Industry Achievement Awards, 16 November -- invitation to industry
* Australian Synchrotron Users Workshop, 5-6 December, Melbourne
* Special XAS Workshop, 7 December, Melbourne
5. MORE INFORMATION SOURCES
* Tenders
* Synchrotron Industry Support Program
* Educational resources for physics students and teachers
* Community speakers
* ASRP News - September 2005 - highlights
* lightsources.org website
1. PROJECT UPDATE
Governance structure
A workshop was held on 4 October to finalise the governance and management framework for the synchrotron with current and prospective funding partners from around Australia and New Zealand. The meeting agreed to proceed to set up the governance structure for the facility, a major step towards establishing the Australian Synchrotron as a truly national science asset.
There will be a holding company for the capital assets, and an Australian Synchrotron Company (ASCo), in which each of the partners, including Victoria, has equal rights. ASCo will control the policy, development and operation of the facility.
A working group will identify potential directors and assist in establishing the facility's expert committees.
Partners were also invited to participate in the process for appointing an independent operator.
Installation progress
- The first electrons were emitted from the linac electron gun in the early hours of 6 October, another milestone for the project and a credit to the project delivery team. A team from ACCEL in Germany, the linac manufacturer, is on site to supervise linac commissioning.
- All booster magnets have been installed in the booster tunnel.
- The first storage ring vacuum chamber has been successfully baked out and installed. Magnets are being installed sector by sector in the storage ring.
- High voltage power supplies and klystrons for the first two (of four) storage ring RF (radio frequency) stations have been moved into position. Toshiba is on site with the storage ring RF systems.
- Real data were sent to the control room for the first time, showing that all the components in the control system are working properly.
- Low conductivity cooling water pipes and compressed air lines have been installed in more than half the storage ring.
- Metaltec's storage ring magnet pedestals are now installed, aligned and grouted in the storage ring tunnel except for one sector that is being left to allow access into the storage ring tunnel.
- Photographs of milestones in construction can be found at /content.asp?Document_ID=2465
2. BEAMLINE NEWS
Beamline Advisory Group
The Beamlines Advisory Group met on 6 September to review beamline progress and consider issues such as laboratory requirements and the user workshop to be held in December.
Beamline scientists for IR and Imaging
Two new beamline scientists have joined the Australian Synchrotron project recently. Mark Tobin, from SRS Daresbury Lab, UK, is our infrared beamline scientist. Daniel Hausermann, from the Advanced Photon Source, Chicago, has arrived to be our imaging and medical therapy beamline scientist. Both have impressive track records, and we welcome them to Australia and the project.
A list of Australian Synchrotron Project personnel can be found at /content.asp?Document_ID=129.
Staff can be contacted via email to contact.us@synchrotron.vic.gov.au or phone Freecall 1800-797-818 (city office) or (03) 8540 4100 (site office) (International +61-3-8540 4100).
PX and PD Beamline contracts
Contracts for the first two beamlines --- protein crystallography and powder diffraction --- are expected to be announced shortly. Tenders for the XAS beamline are in the final stages of evaluation.
3. PEOPLE NEWS
Synchrotron scientist wins Physical Scientist of the Year
Associate Professor Cameron Kepert, from the University of Sydney School of Chemistry, has been awarded the $50,000 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year for his creation of new materials with unique properties. Cameron works with synchrotron x-ray diffraction, powder diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopic techniques. One of his discoveries is a material that shrinks as it is heated, potentially solving heat stress problems in the electronics industry. Another of his new materials can substantially improve how we purify drugs and store hydrogen for use as a fuel.
Recent visitors
Sir John Taylor, former Director-General of the UK Research Councils and architect of the UK e-science initiative, visited the Australian Synchrotron for discussions in September.
Dr David Raitt from the European Space Agency visited the Australian Synchrotron to discuss applications for the space industry and possibilities for collaborative ventures between the Space Agency and Victoria.
4. FORTHCOMING EVENTS
ICN Industry Achievement Awards - 16 November - Invitation to industry
The Australian Synchrotron Project has been nominated for an Industry Capability Network (ICN) Industry Achievement Award for outstanding application of the Victorian Industry Participation Policy. Metaltec has also been nominated in the Small and Medium Enterprise category for the contract for the synchrotron girder system.
The awards recognise outstanding contributions to local industry and will be presented by Victorian Minister for Manufacturing & Export, The Hon. Andre Haermeyer, at the ICN annual Industry Achievement Awards.
Event: ICN Industry Achievement Awards - cocktail function
Venue: Hilton on the Park, 192 Wellington Pde, East Melbourne 3002
Date: Wednesday 16 November 2005
Time: 5.30pm
RSVP: Essential. Contact Lisa Portou, lportou@icn.org.au
Guest speakers at the function are John Harnden, CEO Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation and Peter Wood, Chairman of the Latrobe Valley Investment Facilitation Committee. John Harnden will highlight the significance of the Games local industry program and business matching opportunities with both local and overseas companies. Peter Wood will provide a briefing on the $2 billion major projects to be undertaken in the Latrobe Valley.
The event is open to industry. To attend and take advantage of these business opportunities please register your details with Lisa Portou by emailing lportou@icn.org.au.
ASRP/Australian Synchrotron User Workshop
for ASRP users and prospective users of the Australian Synchrotron
5-6 December 2005
The University of Melbourne
Keynote Speaker: Dr Bill Thomlinson, Director Canadian Light Source: "The
Future of Biomedical Research Using Synchrotron Radiation"
Program:
* Hot topics in Australian synchrotron science
* Australian Synchrotron updates
* ASRP developments
* ASRP Medal presentation
* Poster session
* Australian Synchrotron site tour
Special XAS Workshop (in conjunction with User Workshop)
7 December 2005 (optional)
Special XAS workshop, with expert advice, including a hands on data analysis tutorial. Featuring Matt Newville, GSE-CARS, Advanced Photon Source (USA)
Registration for both workshops is free but essential at /content.asp?Document_ID=4060
Limited student bursaries are available; see: www.ansto.gov.au/natfac/asrp.html for details
Flyer available from /files/documents/User-workshop-final-flyer.pdf
5. MORE INFORMATION SOURCES
Tenders
Tenders for the X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy beamline are undergoing evaluation.
Registrations of interest were invited recently for in-vacuum undulators, a high-accuracy diffractometer for the PD beamline, and supply of open flow crystats. Tenders were called for supply of a dual sweep streak camera and the commissioning x-ray CCD detector and goniometer system. These ROIs and RFTs have now closed and are undergoing evaluation. Tenders can be found on the Victorian Government tenders website at www.tenders.vic.gov.au.
Synchroton Industry Support Program
The Industry Synchrotron Access Program supports industrial research projects to use overseas synchrotrons. For more information about the Industry Synchrotron Access program, contact Industry Adviser Dr Gerry Roe on freecall 1800 797 818 (within Australia) or email contact.us@synchrotron.vic.gov.au.
Educational resources for Physics students and teachers
This year the Victorian Curriculum and Assesment Authority has introduced a 4-week Detailed Study "Synchrotron and its Applications" into the Year 12 (final year of secondary schooling) Physics curriculum. A package of information for physics teachers is available from the Australian Synchrotron Project, and speakers (e.g. PhD students who use overseas synchrotrons for their research) are available to speak to physics classes. To request a teachers kit or a speaker, freecall 1800 797 818 or email: contact.us@synchrotron.vic.gov.au
There is also a wealth of information for students and teachers at /content.asp?Document_ID=153.
Community speakers
Good speakers are available to speak to community groups and school students about the Australian Synchrotron in non-technical language. There is no charge to the community group or school. Request a speaker by emailing contact.us@synchrotron.vic.gov.au or Freecall 1800 797 818.
ASRP News September 2005 highlights
The Australian Synchrotron Research Program publishes an e-newsletter 'ASRP News'. Following is the table of contents for the September issue. To subscribe to ASRP News, email: garrett@ansto.gov.au or visit the ASRP web site: http://www.ansto.gov.au/natfac/asrp.html
ASRP News September 2005
1. Soft X-ray Newsflash: the ASRP Endstation Completed
2. Congratulations to Matt Hall, winner of the inaugural ASRP Medal
3. ASRP Science Highlights
4. Professor Hans Freeman appointed Member of the Order of Australia
5. Australian Synchrotron Research: Long Term Strategy
6. APS Strategic Planning and Developments at XOR
7. Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation 2006 Conference, Korea.
Lightsources.org
The collaborative website of major international synchrotron facilities at http://www.lightsources.org provides the latest news and information on the world's accelerator-driven light sources (synchrotrons and free-electron lasers) and the science they produce. The website was developed and is jointly maintained by the Light Source Communicators Group, whose members represent the world's light source facilities in Europe, North America and Australasia, including the Australian Synchrotron.