On 6th June, BEATS, the fifth beamline at SESAME, was officially inaugurated in the presence of the EU Ambassador to Jordan, Jordan’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific research, the President of the SESAME Council, the Director of SESAME and representatives from BEATS partner institutes.
During the inauguration event, Dr Khaled Toukan, Director of SESAME, gave an opening address, which was followed by short keynote addresses and a panel discussion. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony finalised the official opening of the new beamline for tomography, BEATS.
“BEATS adds new analytical capabilities to SESAME’s research portfolio. Tomographic X-ray microscopy will allow the non-destructive investigation of unique samples and will provide a formidable research tool for many scientific areas,” said Khaled Toukan, Director of SESAME.
“The European Union is proud to be part of this exciting project, ” said Maria Hadjitheodosiou, Ambassador of the EU to Jordan. “We have demonstrated our commitment by allocating more than EUR 26 million to SESAME over the years. For instance, it is thanks to a contribution from the European Union that SESAME has become the world’s first large accelerator complex to be fully powered by renewable energy. Today’s inauguration of its latest beamline not only contributes to scientific excellence in the Middle East, it also strengthens the partnership between the European Union and the region.”
More than 100 guests attended the BEATS inauguration event on 6th June at SESAME. Credit: SESAME/M. Qtaishat
BEATS first delivered synchrotron light to its experimental station on 11 May 2023.
On 7th June, during the first edition of the BEATS X-ray tomography lectures and training courses, 10 first users from the region were able to learn how to set-up a sample on the beamline, scan it and analyse the tomography images produced. You can find out more about their research on our Twitter account or through the hashtag #BEATSisReal.
The BEATS beamline will be taking proposals from September 2023.
Gianluca Iori, BEATS beamline scientist, conducts a hands-on session with first users during the training sessions on 7th June 2023. Credit: ESRF/K. Colvin
Gianluca Iori and participants of the hands-on session discuss the different samples brought to be scanned. Credit: ESRF/K. Colvin
Feature image: (Centre from left to right) Prof. Azmi Mahafzah, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Jordan, SESAME Director, Khaled Toukan and H.E. Ms Maria Hadjitheodosiou, Ambassador of the European Union to Jordan cut the ribbon during the BEATS inauguration. Credit: SESAME/M. Qtaishat