SESAME was the recent venue of the OPEN SESAME Environmental Science Thematic School held from June 23 to 27, 2019, which provided comprehensive training in synchrotron radiation applications in environmental science for 30 researchers from the SESAME Members.
Organized by Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste SCpA (Elettra) in collaboration with SESAME, this training school was funded by the European Union within the OPEN SESAME project (H2020 project under grant agreement n.730943).
The programme included theoretical and practical classes run by top scientists working at SESAME and at European synchrotron radiation facilities and international research institutes, namely:
Mahmoud Abdellatief (SESAME) - Jordan
Burkhard Beckhoff (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt) - Germany
Messaoud Harfouche (SESAME) - Jordan
Gihan Kamel (SESAME) - Jordan
Majid Kazemian (Diamond Light Source) - UK
Andrea Lausi (Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste) – Italy
Davide Levy (Tel Aviv University) - Israel
Sakura Pascarelli (ESRF) – France
The 30 participants, all young and motivated scientists, had the chance to explore and develop a range of key practices, capabilities and skills associated with the use of synchrotron beamlines, as well as to benefit from lectures, tutorials and practical hands-on training sessions at SESAME’s IR and XAFS/XRF beamlines.
The main topics explored were:
- Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation: X-ray optics, UHV instrumentation, Advanced sample manipulator systems, trends and developments
- Theory and analytical applications of X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) techniques
- Theory and analytical applications of X-ray Diffraction techniques
- Tutorials on XRF/GIXRF and XAFS data analysis and on Monte Carlo Methods
- Experimental hands on sessions at Sesame beamlines
The school received very positive feedback from the participants and provided an excellent occasion for transferring knowledge to the user community emerging around SESAME to fully exploit the brightest X-rays of the Middle East. It was also a good opportunity for the young scientists to mingle together and exchange ideas, and to meet and network with the scientists forming part of the staff of SESAME and to discuss with them new ideas and possible future research collaborations.