Updates for the User Community

inputs from the CFN User Office

January 25, 2023

Happy New Year!  We hope that you all had a happy and safe holiday!

SAVE THE DATE!  The annual joint NSLS-II, CFN & LBMS User Meeting is scheduled April 24-28, 2023. The user meeting will be held virtually; a banquet dinner will be held for local registered participants. The Planning Committee is soliciting workshop proposals to be held during the user meeting; the submission deadline is January 23.

More details on the user meeting will be available when online registration opens sometime in February.

User Proposal Deadline

The CFN is currently accepting new proposals and additional time requests for the May to August 2023 cycle by the submission deadline of Tuesday, January 31, 2023.

• Users who already have an active project must submit an additional time request for access to the CFN.
• For General User and Rapid Access projects that are expiring after the January to April 2023 cycle, PIs must submit a new General User proposal by the upcoming deadline for work to continue.

Safety Approval Forms

All projects must have an approved Safety Approval Form. SAFs must be submitted and approved two weeks prior to the start of an experiment, whether the work is onsite or remote. Note that failure to submit a SAF on time can result in delay or cancellation of your experiment. If you are allocated beamtime at one of CFN's Partner User Beamlines (11-BM, 12-ID, 21-ID), select NSLS-II as the user facility when creating the SAF. If you are allocated time for both beamlines and CFN tools, you will have to create two SAFs (one each for NSLS-II and CFN).

User Survey

Please complete the 2023 Annual User Satisfaction Survey. 

Onsite or Remote Access to CFN

Before starting your experiment at CFN, users must complete the following steps:

• Registration: Every experimenter listed on the proposal, participating onsite or remotely, must have a valid BNL appointment. To obtain or renew a guest appointment, go to https://guest.bnl.gov. Users who mail in or receive samples from CFN must also have a valid guest appointment.
• Submit a Safety Approval Form at https://cpp.bnl.gov.
• Training: All experimenters must complete online training prior to a scheduled experiment. For a list of training requirements, please go to https://training.bnl.gov.

Onsite or Remote Access to CFN

CFN will continue to support user projects remotely by assisting with data analysis and other activities that can be done away from the lab. For more information, contact the User Office at cfnuser@bnl.gov or at 631-344-NANO (6266).

FOM continues to be unavailable outside the BNL firewall. To access FOM, you need BNL’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) and DUO Two Factor Authentication. To apply, please submit an account request form. Once you have your BNL domain account, you can follow the instructions on how to use VPN. If you need to create a new FOM account or experience any other FOM-related issues, contact the User Office.

Send us high-resolution copies of publication covers that feature your papers or articles so that we can display them at the CFN.

Keep us informed of your awards, honors, and publications. Publicizing your discoveries and professional achievements helps us raise the profile of the CFN, attract top scientists from around the world, and secure ongoing funding.

The following acknowledgement must be used in publications when referencing work performed in whole or in part at the CFN: “This research used resources of the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), which is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility, at Brookhaven National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-SC0012704.”

COVID-19 Protocols

BNL is no longer on a High Community Level. The Lab could re-institute these controls if a High COVID-19 Community Level returns:

• Face coverings are required on the Brookhaven Lab site and within Lab buildings, regardless of a person's vaccination status.
• Face coverings must be worn in all government vehicles when occupied by more than one person.
• Face coverings may be removed by individuals only when in office spaces with floor-to-ceiling walls and fully closed doors. They may also be removed when outdoors, and intermittently when eating/drinking.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the CFN User Office or any of the CFN staff. We are here to help and ensure you are safe when conducting your work.

On behalf of the entire CFN family, we thank you for your continued support of and engagement with the CFN. We hope to see you all soon!

— Grace Webster
User Program Administrator and Outreach Coordinator

2023-21062  |  INT/EXT  |  Newsroom