The Advanced Photon Source (APS) was a popular tour stop for the 2012 Argonne Energy Showcase that took place on Saturday, September 15. More than 12,500 members of the public came to Argonne for an informative day highlighting energy-related research. A team of 134 APS personnel guided visitors through the facility, answered a seemingly endless stream of questions about APS science and engineering, and delighted visitors (especially the kids) with 30 exhibits and demonstrations including three-dimensional tomography of new materials for lighter cars and airplanes, a nanometer-scale look into green energy materials using hard x-ray fluorescence microscopy, a “virtual linac,” a miniature beamline, robotics, rapid computer-aided design prototyping of APS beamline components, and acoustic levitation. (A video of Argonnes Chris Benmore demonstrating the magic of acoustic levitation has gone viral and is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=669AcEBpdsY). A Flickr set of photos from the APS Energy Showcase can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/advancedphotonsource/sets/72157631569259958/

The Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory is one of five national synchrotron radiation light sources supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science to carry out applied and basic research to understand, predict, and ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and molecular levels, provide the foundations for new energy technologies, and support DOE missions in energy, environment, and national security. To learn more about the Office of Science x-ray user facilities, visit http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/basic-energy-sciences/.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.