User Facilities: The Education of New Neutron Users

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Neutron scattering is a particularly useful tool enabling the study of compositional, structural and dynamical properties of materials down to the atomic scale. Due to the complexity of operating an intense source of neutrons, this technique is primarily practiced at large national facilities that cater to the research needs of chemists, biologists, physicists, engineers, and material scientists in general. In particular, these user facilities provide specialized instrumentation along with the scientific and technical support required to efficiently utilize it. Since neutron scattering experiments are performed at central facilities rather than in the home-laboratories of individual investigators, the facilities themselves must play a key role in the education and development of new users. The role of neutron scattering facilities in educating young scientists will be examined using examples from current programs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research. ©2009 American Institute of Physics