10^th International Conference
on Biology and Synchrotron Radiation (BSR)
and
6^th International Workshop
on Medical Applications of Synchrotron Radiation (MASR)

January 29, 2010

5th - 18th February 2010,
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Australia

INFORMATION AND UPDATES

Round Table Discussions

Lunchtime Roundtable on Sample Preparation for X-Ray Microfluorescence on Bio Samples (All Welcome)

Monday 15th February - 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

The purpose of this open meeting is to hear opinions from workers in the field and to discuss what methodologies ensure the optimal preparation of biological samples to maximize the the amount of high-quality information gathered during synchrotron based X-ray Microfluorescence and other imaging experiments. The ability of advanced X-ray techniques to reveal sample details at size regimes comparable to (or even surpassing) those probed by more conventional optical microscopes has meant that the inadvertent reorganization of sample structure due to preparation method (preparation artifacts) is a serious concern and may compromise the validity of the experiments.

Interested delegates should email Simon James ( ) if they wish to attend.

How should the usage of beamlines for macromolecular crystallography be recognized ?

Convenor - Sine Larsen, University of Copenhagen

Monday 15th February - 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

Large facilities are used more and more for crystallographic research and the scientists working there are responsible for providing the best service for the users that come to carry out their experiments. A prominent example concerns the beamlines for macromolecular crystallography. The scientists at the synchrotrons have invested enormous human resources into the automation of the beamlines making them so efficient that the users can control their experiments from their home laboratories. Many users take these well functioning beamlines for granted and often forget to recognize the efforts involved in creating the instrumentation, hardware and software. The lack of recognition from the users may demotivate the beamline scientists and in the long run have a negative impact on beamline developments. The purpose of this roundtable session to have a dialogue between the communities of macromolecular crystallographers and scientists at the synchrotrons on this problem. Hopefully this could lead to the formulation of guidelines for an appropriate recognition of the use of large infrastructures.

MASR Conference Proceedings

Conference Proceedings

The MASR conference proceedings will be published by the American Institute of Physics and will be made available as open access proceedings. Detailed instructions and templates for submission are now available from here.

Papers must be submitted by 5:00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time Monday 15th February 2010 by sending as a pdf to [ ] along with the Transfer of Copyright Agreement.

Australian Synchrotron Tours

There will be tours of the Australian Synchrotron on offer for conference delegates on Thursday 18^th February. The first tour will be commence at 11:30am and fits with the MASR program; the second tour commences at 2:00pm and fits with the BSR program. If you wish to attend please contact the ASN Events office [ ] or [03 5983 2400]. You must register your attendance by the 1^st February. If you have registered and no longer wish to attend, please also contact the ASN Events office.

Please be aware there are safety instructions that must be read before taking the tour, including details of attire that must be worn. Please download the instructions "Visitor Safety Information_Issue 2.pdf".