The human population is expected to surpass 9 billion by 2050, and meeting future food and energy needs requires increases in agricultural production by enhancing productivity on existing land or by increasing the amount of land used for production. Achieving these gains depends on adequate levels of soil micronutrients like copper, low levels of which can impact yield by reducing fertility and, in extreme cases, lead to total crop failure.

Remote data collection, made possible by the use of a sample automounter such as the BAM-2 located at F1 and remote desktop software, is a growing trend at MacCHESS. Research groups regularly ship in their samples from as far away as Texas, and then operate the beamline over an Internet connection to the MacCHESS F1 data collection workstation.

“We can extract local strains, tilts, rotations, polarity and even electric and magnetic fields,” explained David Muller, professor of applied and engineering physics, who developed the new device with Sol Gruner, professor of physics, and members of their research groups.

To facilitate this move and allow for a seamless transition, the RF team has connected a processing transmitter located in the west end of L0 the east cavities of CESR, while the former east-powering transmitter in L0E has been disabled. This has ensured a seamless transition after a busy summer down.

Valence controls crucial properties of molecules and materials, including their bonding, crystal structure, and electronic and magnetic properties.

Four decades ago, a class of materials called “mixed valence” compounds was discovered. Many of these compounds contain elements near the bottom of the periodic table, so-called “rare-earth” elements, whose valence was discovered to vary with changes in temperature in some cases. Materials comprising these elements can display unusual properties, such as exotic superconductivity and unusual magnetism.

From the start, RAW was designed specifically with novice users in mind: when scientists arrive at the beamline, they need something fast and easy to learn in the very limited time available … often late at night. The program was literally designed by looking over the shoulders of beamline users as they collected data. But rather than simply create an automated data processing pipeline, we opted to give people the power to fully process data on their own computers at home, if they choose.

“Most scientists focus on a very specific area, but I do many different things,” says Sol Gruner, Physics. “I’m a research mutt. Mainly, I develop tools to attack scientific problems people haven’t looked at yet, largely because the tools needed to solve those problems haven’t existed.”

The Ithaca City School District consulted with the Xraise team to select two design activities addressing electricity and magnetism as part of the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS). Teachers discovered how loudspeakers operate and explored the photoelectric effect through the investigation of solar cells. The activities provide engineering design curriculum for teachers, and eventually hands-on activities for students, by enabling teachers to build inexpensive speakers made out of paper cups and cars from kits that are powered by solar panels.

Transition-metal oxides are a class of high-performance catalysts with great potential, but the way in which they govern electrochemical reactions that turn fuel into energy remains poorly understood. Jin Suntivich, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, hopes to change that by studying catalysts in a new way, and he has been awarded $750,000 by the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2017 Early Career Research Program.