Fifty young scientists and engineers from eleven countries attended the summer school, which provided 10 days of significant talent-nurturing interchange.
The school was cosponsored by RIKEN, JASRI (Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, which operates SPring-8), KEK (Japan’s High Energy Accelerator Research Organization), and AOFSRR. The curriculum included lectures on synchrotron radiation science and technology, covering everything from synchrotron operation to industrial applications. The sessions concluded with a talk on new scientific directions and possibilities in synchrotron science.
The participants also had the opportunity to conduct real experiments using SPring-8 beamlines, during two one-day practical courses.
The ‘Meet the Expert’ sessions, round-table discussions for 5 to10 students, were a good opportunity for students to meet experienced scientists and ask practical, specific questions about their research.
The summer school’s name, Cherion, is derived from ancient Greek mythology. Cheiron was an immortal god, intelligent, civilized and kind, as well as a teacher who would impart his knowledge only to those mortals most worthy of it. This matches the purpose of the summer school, which seeks to nurture the best and brightest young minds in science from the Asia-Oceania region. Tetsuya Ishikawa, the director of the SPring-8 center, says: “We believe they will become kingpins in synchrotron radiation science for [the] Asia-Oceania region.”
