Elettra workshops and Fonda-Fasella award

The month of December has been rich in scientific events, including two workshops and the annual Fonda-Fasella award. The workshop COX - Coherent X-ray spectroscopy: the dream focused on the groundbreaking potential of seeded Free Electron Laser (FEL) sources, such as FERMI. The meeting covered the fields from material science to chemistry and biology with the intention of introducing potentially revolutionary technologies. The occasion underlined the strong motivation in using x-rays to achieve high chemical sensitivity via core-level electronic transitions. The talks also discussed the possibility to extend table-top laser spectroscopy techniques to the vacuum ultraviolet and soft x-ray radiation range, and to exploit the unprecedented time-space (femtosecond-nanometer) resolution of FEL radiation. The event has been highly successful, gathering more than 80 participants from Italy, Europe, China and the United States. COX was followed by the workshop REGINA - new challenges for Research on Graphene: from growth and state-of-the-art characterization towards Industrial Applications, which attracted over 110 participants and provided a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art research on graphene. The workshop featured the participation of top tier international scientists, including members of the Graphene Flagship consortium, aimed at conducting advanced research on graphene and 2D materials. The important role of Elettra and FERMI at the frontiers of graphene research was acknowledged by Prof. Franciosi in his opening presentation, as well as by the speakers who reported on the results of their experimental activity at our international research centre. The talks ranged from first-principle theoretical calculations to experimental studies, to real-life technological applications. Some of the most interesting aspects related to the electronic, mechanical, optical and transport properties of graphene were brought under focus, as well as the key role of chemical functionalisation in enhancing the reactivity of graphene-based composites. The annual Fonda-Fasella award ceremony took place on December 4, 2013. This year the prize, which is reserved for a young researcher who has obtained relevant results using the synchrotron light of Elettra, has been awarded to Dimas G.de Oteyza (Centro de Fisica de Materiales, San Sebastian, Spain) for the results recently published in his paper "Understanding Energy Level Alignment in Donor-Acceptor/Metal Interfaces".