Chi-Chang’s Corner

Adjusting to New Roles for a Smooth Transition to NSLS-II

May 1, 2007

Chi-Chang Kao
NSLS Department Chair
kao@bnl.gov

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We’re still adjusting to the new organization of the department. The last few weeks have been filled with a multitude of meetings to discuss these changes and fine-tune the organization chart to fill in the gaps we’ve found along the way. Overall, this transition has been a smooth one, with no impact on the users or machine operation. And slowly, we are seeing the benefits of this reorganization, including an abundance of ideas generated from the new roles and working relationships of the staff.

We just finished a midyear review of NSLS projects, budget, and staffing. Although funding is tight, we are on track with the project timeline outlined in the Five-Year Plan and should be able to stay on target for the rest of the fiscal year.

As the NSLS-II project progresses, our staffing needs are becoming clearer. While at this time last year much of our staff had responsibilities equally split between the NSLS and NSLS-II, most of these employees have since been fully assigned to one facility. Not only has this relieved the stress associated with juggling two jobs at once, it’s also allowed us to better assess our staffing needs at the NSLS. I’m currently working with division heads and other managers to define a hiring strategy to address these issues.

The next Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting will be on May 3-4. One of the main items on the agenda is discussion about updating the Five-Year Plan. Based on new information and input from users and funding agencies we have made some adjustments to the Five-Year plan, which will be presented to the SAC. We also want the SAC to help us look at the many scientific opportunities presented by recent developments at the Source Development Lab as well as the transfer of beamlines and scientific programs from the NSLS to NSLS-II.

In its first year operating NSLS beamlines X18B and X19A, the Synchrotron Catalysis Consortium (SCC), funded by the Office of Basic Energy Science Chemical Sciences Division, has already made its mark on the catalysis research community. In a recent, well-received report to the U.S. Department of Energy, the SCC reported that it has helped more than 40 catalysis groups from academic institutions and national laboratories through synchrotron courses and workshops, assistance at the beamline, and the development of new equipment. In that time, the consortium also has attracted 10 new catalysis groups from U.S. institutions and facilitated the production of more than 40 publications from the two beamlines. We hope to enhance our collaboration with the SCC to help it provide new capabilities and increase its capacities.

There’s also good news for another research consortium based at the NSLS – the Consortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Sciences (COMPRES) – which recently received renewed funding through the National Science Foundation to operate NSLS high-pressure beamlines X17B2, X17B3, X17C, and U2A. This is a very important step for the NSLS and COMPRES as we work together to serve the earth science community and expand the use of high-pressure research in materials, chemical, and energy-related sciences.

The Laboratory’s focus on our Integrated Safety Management (ISM) programs continues as we prepare for a DOE audit that will begin with a “scoping” visit in early May. Several people will visit the site at that time to learn about the Laboratory and its varied facilities. In August, the whole audit team will visit to learn more details about our programs and talk to personnel about how ISM is implemented. We welcome their arrival as we have much to be proud of. ISM is well implemented at the NSLS because we need it to operate safely and efficiently, and I’m sure that the auditors will see that. Remember, “All Work is Planned.”

Light source management will soon start more safety observations on the experimental floor in order to better identify potential problems. Inspections also are ongoing for the Electrical Equipment Inspection (EEI) program, which is meant to ensure that equipment is free from reasonably foreseeable risk due to electrical hazards. By the end of FY09, all electrical equipment that operates at a voltage greater than 50 volts (this includes all items that are plugged into the wall) must be cataloged and inspected. Thanks to your help, we now have equipment lists from most of the beamlines. We ask for the continued cooperation of Participating Research Team (PRT) staff and all of our users as these inspections will include beamline and visiting user equipment. Much of the equipment to be inspected requires that the storage rings and injection systems be shut down, so expect to see personnel working on these inspections during the upcoming May shutdown.

We also have several projects planned for the shutdown, which will begin on May 8. Some of the major projects include removing magnets and vacuum chambers from the former LEGS experiment, replacing the XRF2 heat exchanger and control valve and the LN2 tank valve, rebuilding the X17 cryogenic system, upgrading the X-ray ion gage controller and residual gas analyzer monitor, and installing the X9 experimental end station enclosure.

Finally, among the many interesting papers produced at the NSLS lately is research led by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Minnesota that reveals a key intermediate in a catalyst that might play an important role in the future of environmental cleanup. You can read the Feature Highlight about their research in this issue of eNews.