About the ASI

Current News

July 31, 2007: Jonathan Parrish takes a new position in Biochemistry

Dr. Jonathan Parrish, currently the ASI Science Project Leader, will be taking a new position as Faculty Services Officer in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Alberta as of August 1, 2007. He will continue to support the ASI by maintaining his role as ASI Science Project Leader, albeit in a reduced capacity.

December 1, 2006: Ernst Bergmann leaves ASI, new Science Project Leader appointed

ASI's Executive Director Ernst Bergmann is moving to a new position as Business Development Officer for the Institute for Biomedical Engineering Research. He will maintain an active role in the ASI, to assist the staff in the transition period and as a member of the Executive Committee.

Jonathan Parrish has been appointed to the position of Science Project Leader and will manage all ASI activities from here on.

April 1, 2006: ASI welcomes Vera Jbanova and Lisa Trottier

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Vera Jbanova as our new System and Network Administrator/Software Developer and Lisa Trottier as our new Financial and Administrative Assistant. Vera begins where Yannis left off, dealing with the Canarie "Lightpaths to Synchrotrons" project, ASI Sample Submission System administration and our IT and data storage requirements. Lisa replaces Paula at our front desk, providing some sorely needed organisation to keep us functioning smoothly.

Welcome Vera and Lisa!

February 2, 2006: ASI bids farewell to Paula William and Yannis Batsiolas

The ASI is sad to announce the departure of both Paula William, our Financial and Administrative Assistant, and Yannis Batsiolas, our IT Sys Admin and Programmer. Paula has moved over to the Research Services Office in Physical Education at the University of Alberta while Yannis is moving somewhat further to begin work for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

We wish them all the best and have no doubt in their success in their new endeavours.

March 22, 2005: ASI, BigBangwidth, Canarie and Netera Announce "End-to-end Lightpaths to Synchrotrons" Project

The Alberta Synchrotron Institute, Canarie, BigBangwidth, and Netera are pleased to announce their joint project "End-to-end Lightpaths to Synchrotrons" which will connect the Canadian Light Source directly to protein x-ray crystallographers' desktops in Alberta to facilitate real-time data access and beamlime control.

This project entails the investigation of how advanced networks like CA*net 4 can be used to collect the data generated from the synchrotron experiments and distribute it to researchers across Canada so they can use the data to understand important biological processes at the molecular level. The experiments will lead to innovations in environmental, agricultural, and health sciences.

If you are looking for more news, try looking in the news archive

Overview

The Alberta Synchrotron Institute (ASI) is a not-for-profit association of the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge, with major funding by the Alberta Science and Research Authority, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and Western Economic Diversification Canada.

To date, Alberta has contributed close to ten million dollars towards the construction of the Canadian Light Source (CLS), Canada's national synchrotron facility. The ASI was formed to both safeguard this investment and to provide assistance and education for Alberta's scientific community in the use of synchrotron radiation in research.

Synchrotron light has numerous applications in a wide range of disciplines, including (but by no means limited to) industry, medicine, chemistry, geology, engineering, and the life sciences. There are approximately 40 synchrotron facilities in 15 countries around the world, with more in the planning or construction stages. When the CLS is operational in 2004, it will be Canada's very first dedicated synchrotron light facility.

In order to assist and prepare Albertan scientists, engineers, companies, and other interested parties while waiting for the CLS to become fully operational, the Alberta Synchrotron Institute will provide mentoring and assistance through several programs:

synchrotron information sessions and workshops in Alberta
demonstrations and training at foreign synchrotrons
coordination of access to foreign synchrotrons for Alberta scientists
assistance with synchrotron technology transfer
assistance with the design of CLS beamlines funded by Alberta
information sessions on bidding for tenders for CLS construction

This will create a core of synchrotron expertise in Alberta that will provide guidance and mentoring to new synchrotron users and will ensure that Alberta is ready for the opportunities provided by the CLS. Fortunately for Albertans, the CLS will be located only a short flight or a good prairie drive away, on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

What Are the Uses for Synchrotron Light in Research?

Synchrotron light covers the full range of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum from infrared to hard X-rays, providing a revolutionary tool for researchers in universities and industry who study physical, chemical, geological and biological processes. This relatively new light source has been used to:

Probe the structure of matter
Investigate chemical reactions
Develop new drugs
Design new microchips for more powerful computers
Manufacture tiny biomedical implants
Create new materials such as stronger metal alloys for airplane wings

Materials Research

Worldwide, about 70 per cent of all beam time on synchrotrons is used for materials research. Synchrotron light has been used to explore the properties of materials as diverse as semi-conductors, glass, muscle fibres, and plastics. It has played a major role in development of new injection-moulded materials such as jogging shoes, car bodies and bumpers, and furniture foam.

The ultrabright X-rays are being used to help industry develop solvent-free paints, find new ways to manufacture biodegradeable plastics that could be eaten by bugs, and study the surfaces and interfaces between materials. This research can help tackle corrosion problems in cars, airplanes, and pipelines.

Medical and Biotechnology Uses

University researchers and a growing number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies use synchrotron radiation to determine the three-dimensional structure of proteins, knowledge which can lead to new and better drugs or increase the winter hardiness of wheat. This allows protein crystal structures to be solved in days versus months or years.

Synchrotron radiation is also used to study the brain and to develop new imaging techniques for medical diagnosis such as non-invasive angiography (X-ray study of the heart and blood vessels to reveal obstructions).

The synchrotron x-ray microscope allows the visualization of cells in their natural state. It has been used to study the life cycle of the deadliest malaria parasite in living red blood cells.

Other Uses for Synchrotron Radiation

Among numerous other applications in a wide variety of fields, including pharmaceutical; mining; petrochemical; advanced materials; electronics; manufacturing; and transportation industries, synchrotron radiation has been used to:

Trace the distribution of pollutants in natural systems
Determine the lead content in clay, a material used in the manufacture of many medicines
Manufacture microscopic machines such as motors so small they can fit through the eye of a needle ("microfabrication")
Probe how atoms and molecules bond with a surface, research which helps develop ultra-thin lubricants
Analyze ore samples to establish the value of a possible mining site
Evaluate the performance of microchips
Analyze a hair sample for trace elements to determine whether an ancient Inca leader was poisoned

Information for Industrial Users

Synchrotron Light continues to be a major tool to be developed and exploited into the next century. It will be to industry and its partners what the x-ray machine has been to the field of medicine over the last four decades.

Some of Canada's leading corporations are presently users of the synchrotron technology. Companies such as Imperial Oil, IBM, Hewlett Packard, GlaxoWellcome, Merck Frosst, and Abbott Laboratories are presently taking advantage of the skills and capacity of this machinery worldwide. When Canada builds its first light source, demand for the facility is expected to increase well beyond its capacity to meet those needs until additional beamlines are built.

Industrial users around the world have recognized the utility of this technology, but the example of Lund, Sweden is particularly relevant to Canada. Lund is a community about the size of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan or Cornwall, Ontario. Over a decade ago, the Swedish government built a synchrotron in Lund (MAX-Lab), and it has recently decided to build a second one, partly because of the increased awareness of the importance to these facilities to the future competitiveness of Sweden's industries.

In and around Lund today, one sees the direct and indirect benefits to Sweden because of synchrotron use by over 800 companies, small and large. The application of synchrotron research has been a major boon to the industrial arm of the Swedish business community. It is expected that similar advantages will accrue to Saskatchewan, Alberta and all of Canada with the development of our first synchrotron light facility, the Canadian Light Source.

To promote awareness of the many opportunities, the Canadian Institute for Synchrotron Research has prepared a number of reports that are available on-line. These reports provide for Alberta industry an excellent introduction to the CLS, and the opportunities it will present for innovation and increased competitiveness.

The Canadian Light Source website also provides a wealth of material on all aspects of the synchrotron and its associated opportunities.

Information for Academic and Government Researchers

Synchrotron radiation, providing a wide spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, is the best available source of x-rays. In 1998, there were over 100 senior Canadian researchers using synchrotron radiation and this number continues to grow rapidly as is has many uses in a wide range of academic disciplines. Improved access to synchrotron radiation is crucial to remain competitive in many areas, including pharmaceuticals, electronics and basic research.

Such an intense light source makes it possible to reveal complete information about electrons at surfaces and in novel materials, such as high temperature superconductors and magnetic nanostructures. It is also used to produce cutting-edge semiconductor devices and micromachines by X-ray lithography, to determine the crystal structure of proteins for pharmaceutical and basic science research, and to examine environmental contamination and bioremediation problems. These are only a few of the many current applications.

Consequently, the CLS will be used by Alberta researchers from industry, government laboratories and universities in many areas, including the fields of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, geology, materials science, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, physics, astronomy, pharmacy and medicine.

Since much of current academic and government research is performed in partnership with industry, the Industrial User Section above will contain information of interest to all researchers in Alberta.

Welcome to the Alberta Synchrotron Institute