Nineteen Brazilian and 64 foreign researchers from 24 countries are listed  to get together at Brazil’s National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (LNLS) in Campinas from January 17 to 25 to view the most recent advances in the use of synchrotron radiation and its applications in scientific research.

The meeting will take place at the São Paulo School of Advanced Science (ESPCA), under the auspices of FAPESP, with the purpose of promoting interactions among students,  local and foreign researchers on advanced themes of science and technology.

The students were selected from among 272 candidates from 41 countries who presented their résumés and research projects endorsed by their advisors.

The 19 selected Brazilians are doctoral  and postdoc students from the state universities of São Paulo – USP, UNICAMP and UNESP, and from the federal universities of  among others Minas Gerais (UFMG), Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Goiás (UFGO)..

There is a significant presence of Latin American students: 17 from Argentina, 3 from Mexico, 3 from Chile, 2 from Venezuela and one from Cuba. Their  participation is explained by the fact that LNLS operates Latin America’s only synchrotron radiation  source and has a large number of users from these countries.

The Argentineans, for example, account for about 70% of the proposals presented annually by foreign researchers. “A synchrotron radiation  source is a device that enables sophisticated studies of  many  types of materials, and is therefore applicable in a wide range of researches. LNLS enjoys a unique regional position and is an important scientific center not only for Brazil but for all Latin American countries,” explains Antonio José Roque, director of LNLS.

From a numerical standpoint, the participation of students from, North American (9), Spanish (5), German (5) and Swiss (4), universities and research institutes is also significant.  Moreover, there is a considerable presence of students from East and Southeast Europe – Russia (2), Ukraine (1) and Turkey (2), as well as Asia and Africa.

Among the Asian students, three come from the Chinese Academy of Sciences; three from Taiwan – the National Chiao Tung University, the University of Taiwan and the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC); and one from the Bhabha Center of Atomic Research in Mumbai, India.

Africa is represented by three students, one from the University of Witwatersrand in  Johannesburg, one from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and one from Ambrose Alli University in Nigeria.

“The ESPCA program attracts young scientists from different countries who will have  contact with advanced subjects in various fields of knowledge, and with science practiced in Brazil, particularly in the State of São Paulo,” states José Roque. “Since LNLS  started  the  building of  a new third generation synchrotron radiation  source, the ESPCA program enables us to hold an event to discuss the cutting-edge research that can be conducted with devices such as these. It is very important for these young Brazilian and foreign students to understand the opportunities for research at LNLS, using both the current and future sources. Since almost 80% of the participants are foreigners, the ESPCA is an important program for the globalization  of LNLS.”

The 92 candidates – 60 men and 32 women ranging in  age from 23 to 30 – were selected from the 272 candidates enrolled in the ESPCA. They will attend classes on structural biology, 3D imaging, catalysis, magnetism and superconductivity, nanosciences and the environment.

Among the guest lecturers are two Nobel Prize winners: Ada Yonath (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel), 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and Albert Fert (Mixed Unit for Physics of the French National Research Agency CNRS), 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics.

The complete schedule and additional information about “ESPCA – New developments in the field of Synchrotron Radiation” are available at http://espca.lnls.br