Birzeit Physics Students Visit SESAME in Jordan

Fifteen students from the physics department at Birzeit University accompanied by visiting scholar Kate Shaw participated in a two-day scientific trip on April 2 to visit the scientific facility Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, also called “SESAME,” in Jordan.  SESAME is an international centre for research and advanced technology, run under the auspices of UNESCO.

During the visit, students met with scientists and engineers working at the SESAME facility and listened to lectures about the synchrotron radiation and its application. Students also took a guided tour in the facility to learn more about the equipment and the acceleration of charged particles. The synchrotron radiation that results from accelerated particles can be used in various applications in medicine, studies of biological systems, environment and energy, material sciences and scientific research in physics. 

SESAME, the first facility of its kind in the region, provides excellent opportunities for students who are doing scientific research for their master’s or doctoral theses. One graduate student in Birzeit University’s physics department has already spent some months there to do research for her master’s thesis in the field of infrared micro-spectroscopy.

The visit to SESAME was co-sponsored by the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), with which Professor Shaw is affiliated, and the Office of VP for Academic Affairs at Birzeit University.

 More information on the SESAME project can be found here http://www.sesame.org.jo/sesame