From September 3rd to 6th, ALBA Synchrotron held its first User Meeting and the VI National Meeting of the Spanish Synchrotron User Association (AUSE). During this event, researchers from different scientific areas have shown first results obtained in ALBA and have discussed the applications and advantages that synchrotron light has on Spanish science.

Selenium concentrations on wheat, solar cells development or the characterization of materials are only some examples of the different areas where synchrotron light can be used. International experts have informed about the latest news of other European facilities and the role of women in science has been analyzed by Adela Muñoz from the University of Sevilla.

New this year, the 2013 AUSE Thesis Prize for the best doctoral thesis using synchrotron radiation defended in a Spanish university between 2011 and 2012 was awarded to Immaculada Martínez Rovira, who studied radiotherapy techniques using spatially fractionated dose with synchrotron radiation. 

A full day session was dedicated to the applications of synchrotron light in the biomedicine sector, explaining how the synchrotron light can help in diagnose of Huntington, Alzheimer or leukemia and the structure-based drugs design developed with synchrotron light.   

Throughout the week, the Spanish scientific community has expressed the need of completing ALBA's capacities with new beamlines to attend the growing users' community.   

1st ALBA user meeting and VI Spanish synchrotron users meeting