CSI at the CLS: Forensics Highlighted at Canadian Light Source Users' Meeting at the U of S

Posted June 07, 2006


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Wednesday, June 7, 2006
2006-06-03-OTHER

CSI at the CLS:
Forensics Highlighted at Canadian Light Source Users' Meeting at the U of S

Television's CSI sleuths use cutting-edge technology to help solve their
weekly crimes, but they haven't used a synchrotron - yet.

Using super-bright synchrotron light to fight crime is the subject of one of
five workshops at the Canadian Light Source Annual Users' Meeting June 16
and 17, being held in conjunction with the 3rd Northern Lights Conference of
the Canadian Federation of Biological Sciences at the University of
Saskatchewan (U of S) in Saskatoon.

"Forensics draws upon a vast array of techniques from a number of scientific
disciplines," says workshop organizer and CLS scientist Tom Kotzer.
"Forensic analysis involves studying all kinds of different samples in
various states of preservation in a way that is impartial, reliable and, if
possible, non-destructive. Synchrotrons are a great tool for meeting many of
these requirements."

"Synchrotron and Advanced Analytical Techniques in the Forensic Sciences"
features presentations by experts who use synchrotrons to analyze
fingerprints, investigate toxins, counter the threat of nuclear terrorism,
identify human remains and estimate age-at-death. The afternoon workshop
begins June 16 at 1:00 p.m. in Arts Room 146 at the U of S.

Visit www.lightsource.ca/uac/meeting2006/workshops.php for more information
on this and other workshops taking place on June 16. They include:

- Molecular Form and Function: Probing Intact Tissues using Synchrotron
Light (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Commerce Room 18)

International synchrotron experts in life science research present their
experiences using a spectrum of techniques to study living things, from
cells to whole organisms.

- Synchrotron Protein Crystallography (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Arts Room
143)

Protein crystallography is a powerful technique for understanding biology at
the molecular level, paving the way for new drugs and a greater
understanding of disease.

- New Instrumentation for Soft X-ray Photon-In-Photon-Out Spectroscopy (8:30
a.m. to 12 noon, Arts Room 101)

Photon-In-Photon-Out spectroscopy uses the interaction of synchrotron X-rays
with matter to understand how atoms and molecules behave, leading to the
development of advanced materials such as organic light emitting diodes,
molecular wires and next-generation computer chips.

- Research Opportunities in Terahertz (THz) Science and Technology (8:30
a.m. to 12 noon, Arts Room 217)

Studies using terahertz light - with wavelengths, from a micron to a
millimeter -- have only recently become possible, opening news windows in
areas from medical imaging to chemistry.

The Annual Users' Meeting takes place June 17 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in
the Geology and Biology Buildings at the U of S. The meeting will feature an
address by Isabelle Blain, Vice-President of Research Grants and
Scholarships with the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council
(NSERC) on research funding in Canada, facility updates by CLS staff, and
the presentation of the first research results obtained using the CLS. As
well, presentations will be made by synchrotron experts from across Canada
and around the world. The meeting concludes with a poster session and
banquet, featuring U of S president Peter MacKinnon as guest speaker.

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Note to Editors: A condensed schedule with speakers and topics of interest
will be posted at www.lightsource.ca/media. Media planning to attend are
asked to contact Matthew Dalzell. Further information is available at:
www.lightsource.ca/uac/meeting2006/ (CLS Annual Users' Meeting) and
www.cfbs.org/annual49-programsummary.html (Northern Lights Conference).

For more information contact:

Matthew Dalzell
Communications Coordinator
Canadian Light Source Inc
Ph: (306) 657-3739 Fax: (306) 657-3535
Cell: 227-0978
matthew.dalzell@lightsource.ca
www.lightsource.ca


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