From the Director
Dear Colleague,

Once again we say farewell to an unprecedented year. Just like in years past, we overcome one challenge to face another - ultimately making us stronger. We will continue to feel the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as it changes how we interact with each other and how we perform scientific research.
 
One thing remains certain; the resiliency of our staff and researchers.
 
We have learned to live with this pandemic and we must once again be ready for change. There is an increase in new cases at Cornell, and the Ithaca Campus is elevating to alert level red.  Just like previous announcements we will inform the CHESS user community as to how this impacts CHESS user operations. 

The next run starts January 26th, and all CHESS beamlines will be operating. Whether experiments will be done in-person or will have to be remote is yet to be seen. There has been no indication that research at Cornell will cease and we do not expect a lockdown. The Cornell and CHESS community has learned a lot since the start of the pandemic, and we are ready for whatever the future may bring.
 
I want to personally thank CHESS staff for their determination in providing a state-of-the-art resource during this time. You are truly one-of-kind. I also want to thank CHESS users for your patience and understanding as we navigate this new normal. Your science will continue to shape our future and we will continue to be here for you.
 
We are a stronger community by working together and overcoming the obstacles of this pandemic. No one person could do this alone.
 
There is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming year, and I am excited to be on this journey with you. We will keep you up-to-date with any changes, and please reach out if you have questions.
 
Thanks to all of you, and best wishes for 2022.

Stay healthy and safe,
Joel Brock, Director, CHESS (email Joel)
BioSAXS helps to explain the anti-cancer activity of green tea
EGCG, a polyphenol compound found in green tea, has a proven anti-cancer effect. Studies now suggest that EGCG works by binding to the potent anti-tumor protein p53 and stabilizing it, so that its activity against cancer is increased. Several experiments, including BioSAXS at CHESS ID7A, support this conclusion.
Internship enhances diverse skillset for SUNY Delhi Mechatronics interns
Alex Adams and Ryan Ford, two SUNY Delhi mechatronics majors, are wrapping up six-month long internships at CHESS. The two seniors have contributed to and led a number of projects, creating a lasting impact on the experiments at the lab.
CHESS user Aeriel Murphy-Leonard shares #LightSourceSelfie
In her video, CHESS user Aeriel Murphy-Leonard, Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University, describes knowing nothing about synchrotrons before discovering CHESS, but quickly learning how great they can be! After a chance at some beamtime at CHESS, she was a synchrotron convert. About CHESS in particular, she enjoys "that it's very education-focused, so you can come in not an expert and leave with an expertise that's very valuable."
Wild blue wonder: X-ray beam explores food color protein
A natural food colorant called phycocyanin provides a fun, vivid blue in soft drinks, but it is unstable on grocery shelves. Cornell’s synchrotron is helping to steady it.
January 2022 Town Hall
Join us for our next Users Town Hall on January 13th at 11am EST. This Town Hall will focus on the upcoming run from January 26th to March 15th. Questions can be submitted prior to the event here.
CHESS Welcomes Greg Ray as New Director of Strategic Partnerships
Greg Ray has been named the new Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotoron Source. In his role, Greg will work closely with the CHESS Director and Senior Leadership Team to provide strategic guidance, and interface with multiple partner organizations – creating and maintaining long-term relationships with external organizations and funding partners.
CHESS is accepting proposals for beamtime!
We are accepting beamtime proposals for the Center for High Energy X-ray Sciences (CHEXS) at CHESS and MacCHESS for the April to May cycle.

The proposal deadline is Wednesday, January 12th, 2022. 

To schedule your experiment in the April to May cycle, please submit a beamtime proposal here by Wednesday, January 12th, 2022.
Issue No. 90 • 2021.12.15
CHESS
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