Over 500 attendees joined a live virtual symposium marking the 75th anniversary of the first direct observation of synchrotron light in a laboratory — a single gathering that captured the full sweep of the science that light sources make possible.
- Event
- Lightsources.org Virtual Symposium — 75 Years of Synchrotron Light
- Date
- 28 April 2022
- Attendance
- Over 500 participants
- Format
- Live virtual symposium, now archived as a recording
The OccasionThree quarters of a century of synchrotron light
The symposium commemorated the 75th anniversary of the first direct observation of synchrotron light in a laboratory. The full event was recorded, and that archive now stands as a remarkably complete overview of the history and current frontiers of the science enabled by light sources. The African Light Source highly recommends viewing these recordings to gain the best possible overview of this field, from its origins to the work being done at the leading edge today.
A bonanza of everything light sources in one place — the history and the frontiers of an entire field, gathered into a single event.
Why It MattersLight source science and the challenges we face
Our world has collectively identified the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which represent the most dire challenges that must be addressed for the planet’s sustainability. Africa, too, faces many unique challenges. The symposium offers a direct way to connect these challenges with the science that can help meet them.
If you ask the question — “Which science can help us address these challenges?” — you will see the answer in the science of these presentations. And if you ask the follow-on question — “Which large-scale research infrastructures most enable the science we now need?” — you will find the answer is the advanced light source, together with all the related infrastructure and the capacity development held in the basket of equipment that supports this enterprise.
The RecordingAn archive worth your time
The recording archives this event in full. The African Light Source encourages everyone interested in the field to view the talks, which together provide the clearest available picture of where synchrotron and light source science has come from and where it is heading.
