This is an award from the Division of Materials Research, the Chemistry Division, and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activity, to New Mexico State University. The funds will support student participation in the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) Winter School on Neutron Scattering for 2005, 2006 and 2007. The LANSCE Winter School is intended to be an annual school focusing on specific science topics to which neutron scattering makes a critical impact. The LANSCE School is thus distinct from other U.S. neutron scattering schools (Argonne National Laboratory National School on Neutron and X-ray Scattering and the NIST Center for Neutron Research Summer School) that provide a general overview of scattering or that have an instrumentation focus.
The first LANSCE Winter School was held in January 2004 and focused on the topic of Magnetism and Neutron Scattering. It was attended by 30 students from U.S. institutions and one overseas institution. The seven days school included both lectures and an experimental portion that allowed students to do hands-on neutron experiments on magnetic systems using four of the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center instruments. Fourteen invited lecturers, who were world experts in specific fields of magnetism and neutron scattering, presented a total of 16 lectures. The Lujan Center scientific staff taught the experimental portion of the school that consisted of small (8-10) groups of students. The students presented the results of their investigations on the last day of the school.
The upcoming LANSCE neutron schools are planned to rotate among selected topics, i.e. Magnetism (2004), Engineering Materials (2005), Soft Matter (2006), and Chemical and Biological Applications (2007). A standing Advisory Board is charged with making recommendations on topics and general oversight of the school, and provides continuity. A Topical Organizing Committee is to be formed each year to select invited lecturers, plan experiments, and select students from an applicant pool.
