3rd AONSA Neutron School

4-9 October 2010 Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, India

AINSE provided travel and accommodation funds for five Australian students to attend the 3rd Neutron School organised by the Asia-Oceania Neutron Scattering Association (AONSA). The first and second schools were held in 2008 in Korea and 2009 in Australia.

This school provided training for newcomers in neutron scattering application to advanced materials. The program comprised lectures, and practical sessions with hands-on experiments and data analysis.

AINSE supported students were Jessica Hudspeth, from the Australian national University, Jackie Knobloch from the University of Auckland, Constantinos Dimitakakis from Monash University, Wade Lee from Curtin University of Technology, and William Brant from The University of Sydney.

Feedback from attendees has been positive particularly in terms of increasing their understating of the scope of possible neutron experiments and how they apply to materials research. The two days spent inside the reactor complex performing experiments was voted the ‘highlight of the experience’. The experiments facilitated a greater understanding of Quasi-Elastic Neutron Scattering and High-Q Diffractometry.

In addition, potential collaborative links were formed with the beamline scientists at the Dhruva Reactor at BARC.

Jackie said 'I found the presentations extremely useful as they were focused more on the technique and its advantages, limitations and applications as opposed to a particular persons research and how they used neutrons, so I was able to benefit from the lectures focused on techniques I use but also gain some appreciation and understanding of other techniques.'

See Review by William Brant See review by Wade Lee

Images

1 Left to right: William Brant, Con Dimitrikakis, Dr S Mitra (Scientific Secretary, the main email contact before the school), Dr VK Aswal (Scientific Secretary), Dr R Mukhopadhyay (Organising Committee, Secretary of the Indian Neutron Scattering Society), Dr SL Chaplot (School Coordinator, President of the Indian Neutron Scattering Society), Wade Lee, Jackie Knobloch, and Jessica Hudspeth.

2. Presention by Con Dimitrikakis

3. The group of five

4. Attendees

5. Group on the Stairs

6. Group on the bus

7. Participants 1

8. Participants 2