The school will take place July 30-August 13, 2016. The school will start at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN and will continue at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL after roughly one week. Students will be housed and transportation will be provided from lodging to the school. Lodging accommodations will be available starting July 30, 2016. Lectures and hands-on experiments will be held during normal working hours, but some experiments will be conducted during evening sessions. Social events will be arranged for participants.

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 Program

The program of the school focuses on the following areas:

• The fundamentals of the interaction of X-rays and neutrons with matter
• X-ray and neutron production and experimental instrumentation
• Theory and practical application of various X-ray and neutron experimental techniques
• Hands on experience gained through experiments at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR).

Lectures are given by prominent scientists drawn from universities, several national laboratories, and industry. Subjects for lectures include:

• Interactions of X-rays and Neutrons with Matter
• Neutron Generation and Detection
• Neutron Instrumentation
• X-ray Generation and Detection
• X-ray Instrumentation
• Single-Crystal and Surface Diffraction
• Powder Diffraction
• Inelastic Scattering
• Reflectivity
• Magnetic Scattering
• EXAFS
• Small Angle Scattering
• Diffuse Scattering
• Nuclear Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering
• Coherent X-ray Scattering
• Amorphous Scattering

Experiments are led by the staff of the beamlines at the APS and the staff of SNS and HFIR. Students will be divided into groups and will do six experiments. Experimental areas include:

• Powder Diffraction
• Small Angle Scattering
• Reflectivity
• Inelastic Scattering
• Quasi-elastic neutron scattering
• Liquids and Amorphous Scattering
• Stress/Strain/Texture
• EXAFS
• Single Crystal Diffraction
• Magnetic Dichroism
• Coherent X-ray Scattering
• X-ray Microprobe

HERCULES is a European course for PhD students and young researchers using Neutrons and Synchrotron Radiation for applications in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Hard & Soft Condensed Matter.

   The 1-month school includes lectures (60%), hands-on practicals and tutorials at partner institutes (DESY and European XFEL in Hamburg, Ellettra and FERMI in Trieste, ESRF, ILL in Grenoble, Soleil and LLB near Paris, SLS in Switzerland) and Grenoble Laboratories (CEA, CNRS, EMBL, IBS).

   The school includes a common part and two parallel sessions:

• Biomolecular, soft condensed matter structure & dynamics
• Physics and chemistry of condensed matter

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   Why join Hercules ?

• to learn new techniques using neutron and synchrotron radiation
• to expand your theoretical and practical knowledge, not only for your present research but for your scientific career
• to experiment these techniques on world-class instruments & beamlines
• to build a network of relations with fellow young researchers and experienced teachers from all around the World

Deadline for application:Â Â 31 October 2015

Bursaries/reduced costs: a limited number of bursaries will be available either to reduce registration fees or cover travel costs.

Common Lectures:

• Interaction of X-rays and neutrons with matter (absorption, elastic and inelastic interactions, ...)
• Sources (neutron, synchrotron, XFEL)
• Detectors
• Optics &instrumentation
• Diffraction (single crystal, powder..)
• Scattering (elastic, inelastic..)
• Spectroscopy
• Imaging (Absorption, coherent,..)
• etc.
  

Session A: Applications to Biomolecular, Soft Condensed matter, Structure and Dynamics

• Protein structure and dynamics
• Studies in solutions
• Partially ordered systems
• Membranes, fibres and muscles
• Crystallography of viruses and ribosomes
• Structural genomics
• Biomedical applications (imaging, therapy)
• Time-resolved and ultra-fast X-ray science
• Biology with 4th generation sources
• etc.
  

Session B: Applications to Physics and Chemistry of Condensed Matter

• Neutron and X-ray (and UV and IR) spectroscopies
• X-ray reflectivity and diffraction of nano systems
• Single crystal and powder diffraction
• Coherent imaging and tomography
• Neutron and X-ray magnetic scattering
• Polarized X-rays and neutrons
• FEL and ultra fast X-ray science
  
• etc.

Outline
The Okazaki conference has been one of the most important activities in Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), with its origin dated back to just after the foundation of IMS. The Conference has been normally held once or twice per year, with focusing on some specific topic that is emerging as a fundamental issue in the field of molecular science and related research area. The 74th Okazaki Conference is designated as "Frontier of X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Molecular Science." We would like to discuss new science that can be opened by advanced XAFS techniques like spatial and/or time-resolved measurements. Although XAFS has matured as a sophisticated promising technique, recent progress based on the advance of synchrotron radiation light sources is still outstanding. We will summarize here the advanced XAFS methods and discuss near-future XAFS techniques and more importantly new science. It will be also fruitful if the new XAFS science can contribute to construction plans of diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation facilities in Japan.

The thirteenth International Conference on Electron Spectroscopy and Structure: ICESS-15, will be held in Stony Brook, New York, Sept 28th to bring together some 400 people interested in the properties of electrons and their interactions in systems ranging from atoms and molecules to complex condensed matter materials. Specific topics fordiscussion will include Atomic and Molecular Science, Photochemistry, Quantum Materials, Imaging Spectroscopies, Novel Instrumentation, and Nanomaterials.

Electronic structure is one of the fundamental properties of matter, and as such has been the subject of scientific investigation for more than a century. Â However the last two decades have witnessed important new discoveries in all areas ranging from the atomic level through to that of complex materials. Â There have also been significant developments in new methods, both theoretical and experimental, for investigating these properties. Â Â New experimental techniques have often evolved at the large scale facilities and by 2015 it is anticipated that the new state-of-the-art synchrotron radiation source at BNL, the NSLS II will be operational. Â It is anticipated that attendees will have the opportunity to tour this important facility.

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Topics

• X-ray facilities, instrumentation, optics
• Materials science and energy-related materials
• Catalysis
• Radioactive and nuclear materials
• Life science, biology and biochemistry
• Earth and environmental sciences
• Cultural heritage
• Atoms and molecules
• Nanotechnology
• Surfaces and interfaces
• Magnetism
• Soft matter
• X-ray and electron spectroscopy (XES, RIXS, NIXS, HERFD, and XPS)
• Theoretical methods
• Software, data analysis
• Newer methods and combination of techniques
• Time-resolved and ultrafast techniques
• X-ray microscopy

12th International Symposium on Radiation Physics

The meeting will be held in Rio de Janeiro at Instituto Militar de Engenharia - IME. The venue of the event is situated on Praia Vermelha, Urca. The place is well served by public transportation within the city and offers convenient access to the International Airport. Transportation by bus from and to the main hotels and strategic points of the city will be provided by the organizationÂ

• Fundamental processes in radiation physics
• Quantitative photon and particle analytical techniques
• Absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy (XAFS, XANES, XRF, Raman…)
• Radiation Sources and detectors
• Simulation codes and radiation transport
• Application to material science
• Medical and biomedical applications
• Applications to space, earth and environmental sciences
• Cultural heritage and art
• New technologies and industrial applications
• Radiation physics and Nuclear fuel cycle

Improving the Data Quality and Quantity for XAFS Experiments (Q2XAFS)

ASEAN Workshop on X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (AWX2014)Â