The first year of SINE2020 support of neutron and muon schools

About 250 students and early career scientists have already benefited from SINE2020 funding to eight introductory neutron and muon schools. Grants will also be available for advanced schools soon.

SINE2020, 16/01/2016
Contact: Adél Len

Neutron scattering techniques have proved their value in investigating the structure and properties of a wide range of materials. Although neutron experiments could therefore be of benefit to scientists from many different fields of research, neutron scattering is not regularly featured on the curriculum of university Master's courses, remaining unknown to many students to whom it could be a useful technique.

To fill this gap, SINE2020’s Education & Training Activities financially support neutron and muon schools organized across Europe to cover travel and subsistence of non-national, European attendees.

Introductory Schools

In the first year of the project, we opened the first call for proposals to fund Introductory Schools on Neutron Scattering and Muon Spectroscopy.

As many as 250 students and early career scientists benefitted from SINE2020 support to attend the six selected schools that took place in 2016 in Germany, Hungary, Italy, France, UK, or Switzerland. They learned from experts how neutrons and muons can help them investigate materials. The overall feedback from attendees has been very positive. In 2017, funding is available for the following schools:

• Feb-March: Berlin School on Neutron Scattering, Germany – website
• March-April: HERCULES, France – website
• May: CETS, Central European Training School, Hungary – website
• June: Giornate Didattiche, Italy – website
• August: PSI Summer School, Switzerland – website
• Sep 3-15: Oxford School on Neutron Scattering, UK – website
• Sep 4-15: JCNS Laboratory Course on Neutron Scattering, Germany – website

Advanced Schools

Specialised neutron schools focusing on a specific neutron technique, analysis tool or scientific discipline are necessary for scientists looking for a more specific type of training. A call to fund Advanced Schools was launched in end of 2016. Keep an eye on our webpage, we will announce the selected schools soon.

Grants available and e-learning

Are you an early career scientist looking to learn about neutron scattering and/or muon spectroscopy? This might be for you! Select which school you would like to attend and find out more directly on its website. For some inspiration, you can watch video interviews to attendees of past schools on our YouTube channel.

For the ones who cannot attend the schools, or the ones willing to learn more, the project is developing the free e-learning platform e-neutrons.org.