Cerdanyola del Vallès, 11th October 2019. In Spain, the scientific community using synchrotron light has experienced an outstanding increase in the last years. Starting from around 200 users who were part of AUSE (the Spanish Synchrotron User Association) in 2004, now more than 4,500 researchers are registered in ALBA user database, 2,500 from Spanish institutions.
The diversity of scientific areas has been remarkable during the congress, with talks covering topics like materials for batteries, imaging techniques for health, structural biology, agri-food technology, magnetic and electronic properties of advanced materials, catalysis and artificial photosynthesis, among many others. This variety of subjects probe the versatility of synchrotron light to tackle different research problems.
As announced by AUSE's president, Gloria Subías, "we have included in this congress an international perspective - inviting speakers from facilities outside Spain - and offered a multi-technique approach - including other sources such as free-electron lasers, neutrons and TEM microscopes". Several keynote speakers from European facilities have taken part of the event: Pablo Villanueva (University of Lundt), Adrian Mancuso (European XFEL), Mª Teresa Fernández (ILL&SETN), Montserrat Soler (ESRF), Juan Rubio (SpLine-ICMM & ESRF) and Mirian García-Fernández (Diamond).
Álvaro Rodríguez Rodríguez from the IEM-CSIC has been awarded the best AUSE PhD thesis 2018/2019. He had the opportunity to present the results of his study on the physicochemical properties of nanostructured conjugated polymers for their application in organic photovoltaics during the meeting. Two highly commended certificates were also awarded to Cristina Blanco Roldán from the University of Oviedo and Lourdes Marcano Prieto from the University of the País Vasco.
During the meeting, a detailed status of the upgrade programme of the Spanish BM25 beamline at the ESRF and the ALBA Synchrotron has been offered. Specially interesting for the participants have been the talks about the four beamlines under construction, with two of them (LOREA and NOTOS) in the installation process. There has also been room for drawing up the first ideas of an upgrade of the ALBA accelerators and beamlines, as well as to discuss about the complementarity of other techniques such as electron microscopes.
AUSE and ALBA have awarded the best poster contributions to Fernando Garcia-Martinez (CFM-CSIC), Leticia de Melo Costa (ALBA Synchrotron & IMDEA), Aleix Tarrés-Solé (IBMB-CSIC) and Victor Fuentes-Cebrián (GTS-UAB). During the meeting, the best PhD project at ALBA was awarded to Anna Mandziak (ALBA Synchrotron - IQFR-CSIC) who is doing her thesis at the CIRCE beamline (PEEM endstation).
On Friday 11th of October 2019, two satellite dedicated workshops have been organized. One devoted to nanomagnetism and the other one to catalysis and materials science, counting with experts on both subjects.
The IX AUSE Congress and IV ALBA User's Meeting kindly acknowledges the support of the technological companies who sponsored the event: Renishaw, MDC Vacuum, Kashiyama, Dectris, 40-30, Specs, TeraTorr, Lab Motion Systems, ScienTec Ibérica, Prevac and Bruker.
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At the left picture (from left to right), Caterina Biscari, director of ALBA, Gloria Subías, president of AUSE, and Miguel Ángel García Aranda, professor at Universidad de Málaga, opening the congress. At the right picture, talk by Caterina Biscari about the current status of ALBA.
Group photo with the delegates of the IX AUSE Congress and IV ALBA User's Meeting at the entrance of the ALBA Synchrotron.
At the left, Klaus Attenkofer, scientific director of ALBA, Caterina Biscari, director of ALBA, and Gloria Subías, president of AUSE, awarding 1st poster prize to Fernando García-Martínez (CFM-CSIC). At the right, Victor Fuentes-Cebrián (GTS-UAB).
At the left, Leticia de Melo Costa (Sincrotrón ALBA e IMDEA). At the right, (ALBA Synchrotron - IQFR-CSIC) who won the prize to the best ALBA thesis.
