ALBA Synchrotron
The 20th of May 2023, the ALBA Synchrotron opened its doors to the general public in the first Open Day held after the pandemic. A large number of visitors could enjoy a day of celebration of science and technology in our premises.
Expectations around the ALBA Open Day 2023 were very high after three years without being held. The nearly available 3,000 tickets were sold outin less than 48 hours to visit the ALBA Synchrotron and know in-person how our research facility works and which its application fields are.
From 09:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., visitors could enjoy of a free tour around the building, where to explore the main aspects of ALBA as well as to discover curios things in many of the hands-on activities offered through the itinerary.
120 volunteers from the staff, students and collaborators made possible the event, changing for one day their laboratories or offices by attending visitors and giving non-stop explanations and full details, always accompanied by a smile. Volunteers from Civil Protection from Sant Cugat del Vallès kindly offered their support.
Younger visitors could have fun in a dedicated area, where scientific shows about cryogenics or vacuum took place. They could also test one of the three robotic arms, produced with in-house 3D printers. As in 2019, a campaign for collecting milk teeth was organized in collaboration with the National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH) in Burgos.
The upgrade project, ALBA II, was also present in different parts of the itinerary and also in the talks given by Caterina Biscari, director, and Francis Pérez, head of the Accelerators division.
The event was organised with the support of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), through the project FCT-21-17088, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Catalan Goverment.
ALBA runs a consolidated outreach program, which includes the organization of the ALBA Open Day, guided tours inside the facility and Mision ALBA project, among other activities. More than 6,500 people visit the facility every year.
With the collaboration of Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología. The ALBA Synchrotron is part of the Unidades de Cultura Científica y de la Innovación (UCC+i) of the FECYT and has received support through the project.