Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
The StarPhoenix
CANADIAN LIGHT SOURCE C9
New technology to spur scientific, economic benefits
opened in the 1960s at Stanford, there was almost no interest in practical use of the research facility. This was a time, however, when basic research ENLO PARK, Calif. — In January, was taking place that resulted in the three Nobel one of the most famous of the world’s prizes that are associated with SLAC. synchrotrons was stripped down to its The prize for physics in 1976, 1990 (which inbare walls and reborn as a powerful third-genera- cluded Canadian Richard Taylor, who was worktion facility similar to the one being commis- ing at Stanford) and 1995 all had a connection to sioned this week in Saskatoon. work done on the older version of SLAC. The Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre But by the 1980s and 1990s, the demand for the (SLAC) was built more than half a century ago. use of the machine — a demand driven by its sucDuring its illustrious life it contributed to the cess — was resulting in a large backlog of those awarding of three Nobel prizes in physics and waiting in line for beam time, Norvell told the was the first place on the planet to use the Inter- open-house guests. net. It was partly because of that But in spite of the incredible backlog (which was reflected at This science that had taken place other facilities around the world) there, the time had come to move tremendous that Canadian synchrotron users to the next step, according to Kei- growth in the use stepped up their lobbying for a th Hodgson, its director. synchrotron of their own. It was a The conversion didn’t come of these machines goal supported by the internationcheap. The $58-million US price al community of synchrotron retag was shared between the Unit- for enabling searchers. ed States Energy Department and discovery in Hodgson doesn’t see synchrothe National Institutes of Health tron growth as a threat to any one biological (NIH). of the facilities, he said in a recent And there was good reason for science presents interview. he went to Sweden the health institutes to be inThis month volved, Hodgson said in a recent a huge to convince that relatively small interview. country to invest in its second faThe advancement in the tech- potential. cility. An older generation synnology that led to the upgraded — Keith Hodgson, chrotron already exists at Lund. Stanford facility (called SPEAR “This tremendous growth in the Stanford Linear use of these machines for en3) is identical to what is being used for the Canadian Light Accelerator Centre abling discovery in biological sciSource in Saskatoon, and it is an director ence presents a huge potential,” instrument that is from 40 to 200 he said. times as powerful as SPEAR 2, Hodgson said. Hodgson is a scientist and, as such, isn’t given That power allows the synchrotron to be used to wild speculation about whether the cure for more effectively to examine biological specimens cancer, AIDS or the common cold will be found at the atomic level, he said. at the end of one of the beamlines — either in This is essential in health research — and the Saskatoon or some other facility in the world. NIH specializes in fundamental health research, But those cures will come from basic research he added. and, given the widening use of synchrotron sciWhile it is too soon to predict the return on the ence, it is quite possible one of the world’s facilNIH investment (in terms of discoveries that ities will play at least a part. could save lives or translate into economic devel- And Hodgson wouldn’t speculate about the opment), the exponential growth in interest in bi- economic spinoff potential, either in California or ological research is an illustration of that poten- Saskatchewan. But, he noted, economic developtial. ment most often follows research. For example, in 1990 there were about 1,500 That connection was noted by Bern Beecham, researchers working at the four synchrotrons in the mayor of Palo Alto — the home community the United States funded by the Energy Depart- for Stanford University. ment, he said. This represented about five per Palo Alto is a university town, he told the recent of the total number of users. ception last winter. It is built on the innovation By 2003, that number had grown to 7,500 and and vigour brought by the research that flows represented 42 per cent of researchers. from campus. And this growth is coming about as the world One of the great challenges for Saskatoon will retools its research capacity with similar, third- be to find the venture capital necessary to allow generation machines, he said. They are either al- local investors to take advantage of the research ready built, or under construction or under seri- that comes out of the CLS and from across the U ous consideration in England, France, Spain, Chi- of S. na, Australia and other parts of the U.S. But Hodgson is convinced, however, that the All this is in addition to the facility being com- basic line of research being pursued at the CLS, SLAC and other facilities around the world will missioned in Saskatoon. At an open house at Stanford in January, John make the world a better place. Norvell, an official with the NIH, painted a pic- When asked what would happen should the ture of the growing interest in this technology to extensive promise of the third-generation machines not pan out, SLAC’s director became assist in health research. When the first version of the synchrotron was circumspect. By Gerry Klein
of The StarPhoenix
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—SP Photo by Gerry Klein
Physicist Hirotsugu Tsuruta shows open-house guests the newly commissioned SPEAR 3 synchrotron at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre The third-generation synchrotron is a much more powerful machine than either first or second, and the cost and size of a fourth generation is so great they are not likely to come on stream for many years. And the number of researchers that have been captivated by the potential of what the CLS or SPEAR 3 can do is so great, it is impossible to imagine a case where success won’t follow. Canada’s synchrotron, the CLS, will hold an open house for members of the public wishing to tour the facility and have their questions answered on Saturday, Oct. 30, between noon and 5 p.m.
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