This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Objectives ?The objectives stated in the recent renewal proposal are these: create a draft plan for the final build out of NSLS-II for life sciences, create a conceptual design for a Phase-1 buildup of macromolecular crystallography beamlines at NSLS-II, establish advisory committees, specify details, of floor layouts for two or three adjacent sectors, plan the timing of the move of NSLS beamline components to the three-pole wigglers at NSLS-II, and specify a Lab and Office Building to serve a Biology Village on the NSLS-II floor. Although these objectives were warmly endorsed by the review panel, we were not directly funded to pursue any of these objectives during the first year of the new grant period. Nevertheless, with limited resources available to us, we commenced effort to address a subset of these objectives and report them here because of their import to the integrated project. Results ?We formed a technical working group, consisting of members of the PXRR as well as the other macromolecular crystallography beamlines at NSLS, to meet weekly and begin to prepare conceptual plans for NSLS-II macromolecular crystallography beamlines. At the submission of this report, we have designed a pair of canted undulator beamlines to address """"""""routine"""""""" macromolecular crystallography applications, using x-ray beams down to 5-10 ?m in size, (see the layout below). We are also preparing designs for more specialized beamlines, for example a beamline which delivers a beam of 1 ?m dimension, that would serve complementary roles in the suggested suite of macromolecular crystallography beamlines at NSLS-II. We are receiving design and engineering support from NSLS-II staff. We also receive program guidance from the Macromolecular Crystallography (MX) Beamline Advisory Team (BAT) which formed during the previous year and submitted a Letter of Interest (LOI) in which the characteristics of a suite of beamlines for MX at NSLS-II were expressed. In addition, we have worked together with NSLS-II staff and other local representatives of the life sciences community to define the characteristics of a Laboratory/Office Building (LOB) whose purpose would be to support the life sciences beamlines at NSLS-II. Plans ?At the time of writing we have been invited to visit the NIH in early June to discuss realistic prospects for construction of up to three undulator-based beamlines for life sciences. This event represents the success of our four to five years of effort to get to this point, and we are very pleased. We really can make no more plans until after that meeting. Significance ?Our longstanding efforts to create a life-science presence at NSLS-II are bearing fruit. The new facilities there will be the best in the world for all x-ray-based studies of biomolecular structure.
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