Abstract:
Macromolecular crystallography (MX) is the premier technique for observing protein structures at atomic resolution, and it contributes to fundamental discoveries in biochemistry, biophysics, and medicine. Intense synchrotron sources such as CHESS enable time-resolved MX experiments, where fast reactions are monitored in real time. The FlexX beamline at CHESS is developing new instrumentation to support time-resolved experiments on electron transfer reactions in enzymes involved in metabolism and sensing. A key requirement is the ability to measure the oxidation state of enzyme cofactors during the experiment in order to correlate chemical information with structural changes. A multi-modal micro-spectrometer will be developed and integrated into the MX beamline to measure UV, visible, and infrared spectra of single crystals.
The student will work in close collaboration with CHESS scientists and technical staff to design, construct, and integrate a multi-modal micro-spectrometer at FlexX. The first-generation spectrometer design utilizes reflective optics to measure fluorescence and resonant Raman signals from tiny crystals. The exact summer project will be tailored to the student's interests and previous experience, and can include aspects of the optical system design, mechanical design, commissioning experiments, and software integration.