January Status Update

MD2 Centering Stage Repair

Also during the last run cycle, we noticed that the centering stage on the 24-ID-C MD2 exhibited a level of slippage which made it unacceptable for use with crystals smaller than 10 microns.  This slippage may be a result of mechanical damage suffered by the MD2 during its initial shipment to NE-CAT which has worsened over time.  As a result, we have sent the centering stage to Maatel.  They have received it and are looking it over.  During the interim, Maatel has loaned us a centering stage.

Workstations Upgraded to CentOS 6

Four workstations, two in each station user area, were upgraded to CentOS 6 in January 2014.  The purpose of the upgrade is to test CentOS 6 and a new version of GPFS on a limited number of machines.  If the new versions of CentOS and GPFS are successful, then all computers will be upgraded in the future.

HC1 Humidity Control Device

NE-CAT purchased an HC1 from Maatel and it was delivered in January 2014.  The device is currently in the 24-ID-E endstation.  The device still needs to be tested and we have received samples from users who have projects which could benefit from controlled dehydration.

HC1.jpg

RAC Meeting

On January 23, NE-CAT had our first meeting with our new Resource Advisory Committee our new grant.  The members of our new committee are: Dr. Christopher Hill (Chair, University of Utah), Dr. John Chrzas (SER-CAT, Advanced Photon Source), Dr. Leemor Joshua-Tor (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Dr. Daniel Leahy (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Dr. Corie Ralston (Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Advanced Light Source), Dr. Douglas Rees (California Institute of Technology), and Dr. Thomas Terwilliger (Los Alamos National Laboratory).