Dear Colleagues,
2021 has begun and there is a lot to look forward to this year here at CHESS.
The first 2021 CHESS experimental run begins on Wednesday, January 20th with access to all CHESS beamlines via remote, mail in, and joint venture modes.
The proposal deadline for the second experimental run (April to June 2021) is January 27th and we invite your proposals for new experiments at CHESS. Beamtime requests (BTRs) for existing beamtime proposals can be submitted until February 17th. We expect that user experiments will need to continue to run remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Beamline capabilities for the different access modes can be found on the beamline web sites.
Planning for the annual CHESS User Meeting is beginning. The meeting will take place June 8/9 and, as in 2020, we plan for a fully virtual meeting with plenary talks, poster sessions, workshops, and other sessions all held online.
CHESS is currently accepting applications for the student summer programs (details on SERCCS, REU, and SUNRiSE/PREM). We are planning a virtual tour of the CHESS experimental floor and discussions with CHESS scientists on Thursday, January 21, 2021, 11am (EST) using Zoom and Facebook live. This tour is tailored for students who are interested in joining CHESS student summer programs but of course everybody is welcome!
The NSF award for the high field magnet beamline started on January 1, 2021 and planning for the construction of this unique new facility is off to a great start.
With this newsletter, we are introducing the “UEC Corner” as part of the CHESS monthly newsletter. The CHESS UEC, i.e. CHESS User Executive Committee, serves as an advocate for the user community and fosters communication among CHESS users and the CHESS leadership team. Please reach out to the UEC with questions, comments and suggestions and, of course, feel free to contact us directly.
Best wishes for 2021 and stay healthy,
Elke Arenholz, Associate Director, CHESS (email Elke)
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UEC Corner
The UEC exists to represent and advocate for the user experience at CHESS. If you have thoughts on what CHESS or the UEC is doing well or could do better, feel free to share them anonymously with the UEC via this form or reach out to a UEC member. We are always happy to hear from you! |
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Student Summer Program Application Deadline
Deadlines for applying to student summer programs are fast approaching! Click through to find more details about the various summer programs, deadlines, and application links.
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Call for proposals
CHESS is accepting beamtime proposals and beamtime requests for beamlines that are part of the Center for High Energy X-ray Sciences (CHEXS) at CHESS and MacCHESS for the April to June 2021 cycle. Beamtime proposals must be submitted by the Proposal Deadline, Wednesday, January 27th 2021. Beamtime requests for existing proposals must be received by the BTR Deadline, Wednesday, February 17th, 2021.
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Mechanics of nozzle clogging during direct ink writing of fiber-reinforced composites
In situ X-ray radiography at CHESS, in conjunction with ex situ X-ray computed tomography (XCT), was employed to study the origins of fiber-induced clogging during 3D printing of fiber-filled polymer inks. This work reveals several promising strategies to mitigate nozzle clogging, which will allow researchers to reliably print materials with higher fiber contents and mechanical properties that rival conventionally processed composites.
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BioSAXS facility at CHEXS develops stringent anoxic sample environment
CHESS is well known for experimental versatility and method/instrumentation development and we have a user base that is interested in anoxic capabilities. From the gut microbiome to the depths of the ocean, life has evolved to thrive in the absence of oxygen. In fact, it is not hyperbole to say that life as we know it would not exist without the oxygen sensitive metalloenzymes that we all rely on. A method to allow structural study of these systems will open many avenues of research, and CHSX beamline 7A1 is the only beamline in the world known to offer this capability.
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High-pressure small-angle X-ray scattering cell for biological solutions and soft materials
Pressure is a fundamental thermodynamic parameter controlling the behavior of biological macromolecules. Pressure affects protein denaturation, kinetic parameters of enzymes, ligand binding, membrane permeability, ion transduction, expression of genetic information, viral infectivity, protein association and aggregation, and chemical processes.
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First ever public virtual tour of CHESS facility!
Join us for a virtual tour of the CHESS facilities. This tour will be geared specifically toward college students interested in our summer student programs, but all are welcome! The tour will be held via Facebook Live on January 21st at 11 am EST. More details on our site and the @CHESSuser Facebook page.
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