How do I get access to the NSLS?
The most common mode of access to beamtime at NSLS is through the General User (GU) program. To participate in the GU program, you must register for an active appointment at Brookhaven National Laboratory and complete several on-line training course, including:
- General Employee Radiological Training (GERT)
- NSLS safety training
- Cybersecurity and completion of the computer use agreement
Complete information about registration and training requirements can be found at NSLS User Access page.
All NSLS beamlines give at least 25% of the beamtime for GU program. This time is open access to any researcher:
Beamtime is requested via the Proposal, Allocation, Safety, and Scheduling (PASS) system.
Beamtime requests are subject to peer-review and open competition. There are two spectroscopy peer-review panels, one for earth, life, and environmental sciences and one for materials, energy, and catalysis sciences. Each are composed of scientists knowledgeable in XAS and in some aspect of scientific area of the panel.
The GU system is designed to bring in new people and to keep access to the NSLS open to all interested scientists.
GU beamtime can go to local experts. That is, BNL and NSLS scientists also compete for beamtime through the GU program.
- Many beamlines give more than 50% General User time. (See the next page.)
Once proposals have been reviewed and rated (See page 4 for rating criteria), the beam time allocation committee assigns proposals to specific beamlines.
The APS has three run cycles per year.
- January to April
- May to August
- September to December
Proposals are due around the middle of the preceding cycle. Here are the deadlines associated with each run cycle.
The purpose of this unit is to teach you, the GU applicant, how to write a competitive beamtime proposal.
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