2026 CHESS User Meeting

America/New_York
Physical Sciences Building (Cornell University)

Physical Sciences Building

Cornell University

ZOOM
Description

The CHESS User meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday June 2, 2026

Theme: Accelerating Innovation

Through this year's theme, we aim to illustrate CHESS’s distinctive role within the broader light source community. We will highlight the creative, flexible, and cutting edge experimental approaches developed through close collaboration between our Staff Scientists and Users, as well as CHESS’s distinct model as a high‑energy synchrotron light source integrated directly within a university. This setting enables inherent innovation at CHESS, as we engage with the next generation of researchers from Cornell and campuses across higher education. Through talks and updates from our scientific community, we aim to showcase and celebrate the qualities that make CHESS a truly unique institution.

Updates from CHESS:

CHESS leadership, along with program directors and staff, will provide updates on the latest developments within our specific User programs, Wilson Lab as whole, and its surrounding ecosystem.

User Science Talks:

We are extending invitations to experts from diverse scientific domains to share insights into their research, and how the specific research environment provided by CHESS, and collaboration with our Scientists and Staff, has enabled their approaches.

Student Paper Prize:

Every year, we recognize the best publication by a student published during the past year with the CHESS Student Paper Award. The award includes an invited presentation at the User Meeting. Please consider nominating an outstanding student for the Student Paper Award.

  • Eligibility:
    • The paper must have been published between March 31, 2025, and March 31, 2026.
    • Papers must have appeared online within that time window.
    • The paper must be based in part on data collected at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source.
    • The research must have been substantially completed when the first author on the paper was a graduate or undergraduate student
  • Nominations must include:
    • Nomination letter: An email summarizing the impact and importance of the research published in the paper. For papers with multiple authors, the nomination should explain the role of the student in planning the experiments, the measurements, and the data analysis.
    • Student Curriculum Vitae
    • Link to the published paper
  • To Submit: Please send the above documents to the CHESS User Office with the headline "2026 Student Paper Prize Nomination"
  • Updated Deadline: All nominations are due by Friday May 15, 2026.

 

Virtual Poster Session:

We encourage you to present your research at CHESS by presenting a poster during our virtual poster session.  During your registration, if you would like to present, please provide your poster's Title and Abstract. More details on the format and process are to be finalized, and specific instructions will be shared with participants as we approach the event. 

Special Viewing Opportunity:

While the 2026 CHESS User Meeting is virtual, our Users are welcome to join us in the Physical Sciences Building at Cornell Univserity for the event. Please note that no transportation arrangements, funding, food, refreshments, or handouts will be provided, but we are delighted to offer a space for gathering and viewing the talks. 

CHESS User Office
    • 8:30 AM 8:55 AM
      CHESS Overview & Partner Program Update: Director Welcome & CHESS Overview - Joel Brock, Director of CHESS Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 8:55 AM 9:20 AM
      CHESS Overview & Partner Program Update: CESR Accelerator Update - Jim Shanks, CESR Staff Scientist Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 9:20 AM 9:45 AM
      CHESS Overview & Partner Program Update: CHEXS Update - Jacob Ruff, Director of CHEXS Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 9:45 AM 10:00 AM
      Break 15m
    • 10:00 AM 10:25 AM
      CHESS Overview & Partner Program Update: MSN-C Update - Arthur Woll, Director of MSN-C Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 10:25 AM 10:50 AM
      CHESS Overview & Partner Program Update: MacCHESS Update - Jeney Wierman, Director of MacCHESS Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 10:50 AM 11:05 AM
      CHESS Overview & Partner Program Update: High Magnetic Field (HMF) Beamline Update - Louise Debefve, CHESS Staff Scientist Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 11:05 AM 11:20 AM
      CHESS Overview & Partner Program Update: X-rays for Life, Environmental, Agricultural, and Plant Sciences (X-LEAP) Beamline Update - Louisa Smieska, CHESS Staff Scientist Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 11:20 AM 11:30 AM
      Break 10m
    • 11:30 AM 12:00 PM
      Research Recognition: Student Paper Prize Award and Presentation Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 12:00 PM 1:00 PM
      Break for Lunch (Not Provided) 1h
    • 1:00 PM 1:30 PM
      Guest Speaker Presentations: "X-ray Spectroscopic Characterization of Soluble Methane Monooxygenase" - Olivia McCubbin Stepanic, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 1:30 PM 2:00 PM
      Guest Speaker Presentations: "A deep dive into ether lipids and membrane mechanics" - Jacob Winnikoff, Postdoctoral Scholar, Harvard University Dept. of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 2:00 PM 2:30 PM
      Guest Speaker Presentations: "Anomalous charge order in frustrated superconductors" - Stephen Wilson, Professor, Materials Department University of California, Santa Barbara Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 2:30 PM 2:45 PM
      Break 15m
    • 2:45 PM 3:15 PM
      Guest Speaker Presentations: “Microbeam SAXS Reveals Structural and Functional Heterogeneity in 3D Printed Thermoplastic Elastomers “ - Alice Fergerson, PhD, Senior Materials Scientist at Becton Dickinson Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 3:15 PM 3:45 PM
      Guest Speaker Presentations: "Investigating reaction pathways of condensed phase thermites using time-resolved x-ray diffraction" - Dr. Amee Polk, Research Chemical Engineer, DEVCOM CBC Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 3:45 PM 4:15 PM
      Guest Speaker Presentations: "Noninvasive composition analysis of ancient Roman silver coins" - Louisa Smieska, XLEAP project scientist and EASL co-chair, CHESS & Kelly Elizabeth Nygren, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, Structural Materials Lead, CHESS Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 4:15 PM 4:30 PM
      Break 15m Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM
    • 4:30 PM 5:30 PM
      Research Recognition: Virtual Poster Session Physical Sciences Building

      Physical Sciences Building

      Cornell University

      ZOOM