A Message from Abram Ledbetter
information from the Users' Executive Committee
September 22, 2020
Dear CFN users:
In our country over the span of the past six months, the coronavirus has gone from a little-known viral nanoparticle to a household name of wrecking-ball proportions, bringing the devastation of serious illness and even death. Here in New York, the strategic response to employ safe practices motivated and supported by science has resulted in our state transitioning from the highest in infection yields to one of the lowest. This success may not have been possible without clear science communication to policymakers and the general public. As with many scientific challenges, longer-term solutions will require learning and collaboration among scientists across disciplines. The value of effective science communication both within the scientific community and to the general public is clearly evident.
As chair of the CFN Users’ Executive Committee (UEC), I would like to create an interactive online community that fosters greater communication among CFN users while also providing learning resources for prospective users and the general public. I am currently working with our webmaster to upgrade and restructure our UEC website with separate user and public interfaces. The interface for the public will provide highlights on CFN users and general information of interest, while the login-based interface for CFN users will have interactive functionalities. These functionalities will include a forum wherein users can communicate with one another, an announcement feature through which tool managers or CFN administrators can issue announcements to users, a repository for users to collect and share useful files, and an advertisement space for posting job and collaboration opportunities.
Speaking of communication, if you have ideas on how to improve the CFN user experience, the UEC represents you and wants to hear from you. Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments at chair@cfnuec.org.
Lastly, I would like to thank all of those who participated this past May in the 2020 NSLS-II & CFN Users’ Meeting, which was our first virtual meeting. This year’s meeting saw the highest level of participation yet, with five times as many registrations as normal. I especially would like to acknowledge our Meeting Planning Committee, including Matthew Whitaker, who co-organized the event with me, and Gretchen Cisco and Grace Webster, who wonderfully facilitated many of the logistics. Given the successful outcome, future meetings will likely incorporate a virtual component.
Continue to stay safe and healthy!
— Abram Ledbetter
CFN UEC Chair
The next CFN user proposal deadline is September 30. Submit a proposal through the online proposal system.
2020-17446 | INT/EXT | Newsroom
