Developing new experimental methods while fostering technological and educational partnerships is at the heart of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on November 9 between the Canadian Light Source and SESAME – the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, located in Allaan, Jordan.
"This agreement is significant, for both SESAME and the CLS," says CLS Executive Director Josef Hormes. "SESAME is a testament to the power of synchrotrons to not only increase our understanding of the world around us, but also of each other. This agreement will benefit science in Canada and throughout the Middle East."
"Today's MOU is special for SESAME," says Hafeez Hoorani, SESAME's Scientific Director. "CLS is the first North American light source to sign a formal agreement with SESAME – connecting one of the hottest places on Earth with one of the coolest."
Established under the auspices of UNESCO in 2003, SESAME (www.sesame.org.jo) brings together researchers from throughout the Middle East to conduct research using synchrotron light. Member nations include Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey. States with observer status include France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Sweden, UK and the US.
The agreement paves the way for researchers from SESAME and the CLS to work together on a wide variety of collaborative projects related to agricultural and archaeological research, as well as the training of technicians and engineers in synchrotron controls and operations. The MOU also makes it possible for personnel exchanges between the two facilities, and encourage collaborations with industry that supply specialized equipment to the synchrotrons.
A similar agreement was signed October 25 between the CLS and Thailand's Synchrotron Light Research Institute (www.slri.or.th/new_eng/) when Prof. Hormes visited Bangkok.
The Canadian Light Source is Canada's national centre for synchrotron research. Located at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, the CLS is a powerful tool for academic and industrial research in a wide variety of areas including environmental science, natural resources and energy, health and life sciences, and information and communications technology. CLS operations are funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council, National Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan. For more information: www.lightsource.ca/media/quickfacts.php.