The sixth annual structural molecular biology (SMB) summer school was held at SSRL from September 12-15. This year’s school was co-chaired by SSRL staff scientists Serena DeBeer George and Clyde Smith, and focused on the application of x-ray absorption spectroscopy and protein crystallography to biological problems. The summer school opened with a day and a half of lectures, which provided a general introduction to both techniques, as well as covering basic theory, experimental considerations, and applications. These lectures were followed by two days of rotating practical sessions, giving the students hands-on experience in data collection and analysis. The summer school closed with a final series of lectures on advanced applications of x-ray absorption spectroscopy and protein crystallography. This year’s summer school was attended by 20 students and was lead by a team of 14 tutors. The lectures and practical sessions were enthusiastically received by the participants.

(Photo courtesy of SSRL)