Molecular Bond: EMSL's bimonthly newsletter

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April 2013

Allison A. Campbell, EMSL Director
When spring arrives, we know one thing for sure here at EMSL – we'll be busy reviewing proposals that came in during our annual call. This year is no different. We received 192 proposals this year – a slight increase over last year's 184.

In this year's call, a key focus of the Geochemistry/Biogeochemistry and Subsurface Science theme was the carbon cycle – an area of growing importance to us and to our steward, DOE's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. We're harnessing our diverse experimental capabilities and supercomputer to help answer questions pertinent to understanding the carbon cycle. You'll see that evidenced by the story in this issue on Tamas Varga – how he's applying our x-ray computed tomography to image root structures.

And our user meeting this year will focus on a key element of the carbon cycle – the rhizosphere. The meeting is scheduled for Aug. 6 and 7 – registration should open in the next few weeks. We encourage you to attend and participate in the dialogue.

- Allison

Take EMSL's virtual tour of its capabilities. Virtually visit four labs and learn about 12 instruments in subsurface science, mass spectrometry, cell isolation and NMR using your computer or mobile device. Find out more or just take the tour.

Watch EMSL on YouTube. Check out how EMSL's capabilities helped David Peterson, Idaho State University, answer archeological questions in "Analysis of Gilding Technology in Prehistoric Jewelry from the Silk Road." Watch the video.

EMSL's growing social media presence. EMSL's social media channels are attracting people from around the world. We now have more than 2,800 likes on Facebook and more than 700 Twitter followers. We're also on YouTube, LinkedIn and Flicker. Are you following and liking EMSL? Click the links or icons at the bottom to visit our social media pages.

Registration is open for the 2013 NUFO Annual Meeting in Berkeley, Calif., June 19-21. NUFO is the National User Facility Organization. Register for the meeting.

Registration is also open for the 21st International Conference on Ion Beam Analysis, or IBA-2013, June 23-28 in Seattle. Read more about the conference or register.

This year's user meeting, entitled EMSL Integration 2013: Plants, Microbes and Their Interactions, will be Aug. 6-7 at EMSL in Richland, Wash. Read more about the conference.

For the first and second quarters of fiscal 2013, a total of 522 users benefitted from EMSL capabilities and expertise. This total includes 359 onsite and 163 remote users.
Bimonthly Summary
To learn about EMSL's achievements, visit our News Center.

Varga: Contributing to the research picture

Tamas Varga demonstrated EMSL's X-ray computed tomography could scan a live plant and generate 3-D images showing detailed root structure distinct from the soil. His personal research interest is multiferroics, compounds that exhibit properties such as ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity simultaneously. Read the full story.

Two named 2013 Wiley postdocs
d. William Wiley
Li Fu and Kyle Pomraning received 2013 William R. Wiley Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships. This is the first time two fellows have been named in the same year to receive this honor. At Yale University, Fu's research used sum frequency generation spectroscopy to characterize bio-molecular interactions, orientation, kinetics and dynamics at interfaces. At Oregon State University, Corvallis, Pomraning's dissertation research used molecular, genetic, microscopic and high-throughput sequencing techniques to study the mechanism of repeat-induced point mutation of DNA in filamentous fungi. Read the full story.

Radiochemistry Annex now open
Nancy Washton and NMR
EMSL's new Radiochemistry Annex will allow scientists to study the chemistry of radionuclides in environmental samples, such as soils and sediments or their encapsulation in potential waste forms. The annex is now fully open to the local and global user community. Read more.

Science highlights

Check out EMSL's Science Highlights. Here are some recent write-ups:

Breaking down the bubbly – Scientists use EMSL resources to model reservoir storage conditions for possible geological carbon dioxide sequestration. Participants: Stanford University, Clemson University and PNNL

A steel trap – Researchers working at EMSL examine and quantify complex nanoclusters within oxide dispersion strengthened steels under a range of irradiation conditions. Participants: University of Wisconsin; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Battelle Science and Technology, India; and PNNL.

Burst of energy – EMSL's supercomputer helps find new atomic-level details about how butanol burns, making combustion chemistry models more accurate and helping design more efficient fuel systems. Participant: University of Minnesota.

If you have feedback – ideas, suggestions, questions – about EMSL's The Molecular Bond, please address those to EMSL Communications team at emslcom@pnnl.gov.

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April 2013
When spring arrives, we know one thing for sure here at EMSL – we'll be busy reviewing proposals that came in during our annual call. This year is no different. We received 192 proposals this year – a slight increase over last year's 184. In this year's call, a key focus of the Geochemistry/Biogeochemistry and Subsurface Science theme was the carbon cycle – an area of growing importance to us and to our steward, DOE's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. We're harnessing our diverse experimental capabilities and supercomputer to help answer questions pertinent to understanding the carbon cycle. You'll see that evidenced by the story in this issue on Tamas Varga – how he's applying our x-ray computed tomography to image root structures. And our user meeting this year will focus on a key element of the carbon cycle – the rhizosphere. The meeting is scheduled for Aug. 6 and 7 – registration should open in the next few weeks. We encourage you to attend and participate in the dialogue. - Allison	Take EMSL's virtual tour of its capabilities. Virtually visit four labs and learn about 12 instruments in subsurface science, mass spectrometry, cell isolation and NMR using your computer or mobile device. Find out more or just take the tour. Watch EMSL on YouTube. Check out how EMSL's capabilities helped David Peterson, Idaho State University, answer archeological questions in "Analysis of Gilding Technology in Prehistoric Jewelry from the Silk Road." Watch the video. EMSL's growing social media presence. EMSL's social media channels are attracting people from around the world. We now have more than 2,800 likes on Facebook and more than 700 Twitter followers. We're also on YouTube, LinkedIn and Flicker. Are you following and liking EMSL? Click the links or icons at the bottom to visit our social media pages. Registration is open for the 2013 NUFO Annual Meeting in Berkeley, Calif., June 19-21. NUFO is the National User Facility Organization. Register for the meeting. Registration is also open for the 21st International Conference on Ion Beam Analysis, or IBA-2013, June 23-28 in Seattle. Read more about the conference or register. This year's user meeting, entitled EMSL Integration 2013: Plants, Microbes and Their Interactions, will be Aug. 6-7 at EMSL in Richland, Wash. Read more about the conference. For the first and second quarters of fiscal 2013, a total of 522 users benefitted from EMSL capabilities and expertise. This total includes 359 onsite and 163 remote users. To learn about EMSL's achievements, visit our News Center.
Varga: Contributing to the research picture Tamas Varga demonstrated EMSL's X-ray computed tomography could scan a live plant and generate 3-D images showing detailed root structure distinct from the soil. His personal research interest is multiferroics, compounds that exhibit properties such as ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity simultaneously. Read the full story. Two named 2013 Wiley postdocs Li Fu and Kyle Pomraning received 2013 William R. Wiley Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships. This is the first time two fellows have been named in the same year to receive this honor. At Yale University, Fu's research used sum frequency generation spectroscopy to characterize bio-molecular interactions, orientation, kinetics and dynamics at interfaces. At Oregon State University, Corvallis, Pomraning's dissertation research used molecular, genetic, microscopic and high-throughput sequencing techniques to study the mechanism of repeat-induced point mutation of DNA in filamentous fungi. Read the full story. Radiochemistry Annex now open EMSL's new Radiochemistry Annex will allow scientists to study the chemistry of radionuclides in environmental samples, such as soils and sediments or their encapsulation in potential waste forms. The annex is now fully open to the local and global user community. Read more. Science highlights Check out EMSL's Science Highlights. Here are some recent write-ups: Breaking down the bubbly – Scientists use EMSL resources to model reservoir storage conditions for possible geological carbon dioxide sequestration. Participants: Stanford University, Clemson University and PNNL A steel trap – Researchers working at EMSL examine and quantify complex nanoclusters within oxide dispersion strengthened steels under a range of irradiation conditions. Participants: University of Wisconsin; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Battelle Science and Technology, India; and PNNL. Burst of energy – EMSL's supercomputer helps find new atomic-level details about how butanol burns, making combustion chemistry models more accurate and helping design more efficient fuel systems. Participant: University of Minnesota.
If you have feedback – ideas, suggestions, questions – about EMSL's The Molecular Bond, please address those to EMSL Communications team at emslcom@pnnl.gov.
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