Urgent user information during APS restricted operations

February 28, 2022
On February 28, 2022, Argonne National Laboratory emerged from Limited Operations ending the maximum telecommuting phase and easing restrictions on the number of onsite users.

A few of the key changes are listed below:

Up to three onsite users per approved ESAF will be allowed.
More than three onsite users on an ESAF will require additional PSC onsite request justification, subject of the APS senior management review and approval.
ESAFs that include onsite users must be submitted a minimum of 14-days in advance of the start of an experiment.
Mail-in and remote access users should submit a completed ESAF no less than 7 days before the experiment start date.
Site access can only be granted to users identified as onsite users on approved ESAFs, or if a gate pass is requested and processed by the User Program Office. Visit the My APS Portal to request a gate pass or email [email protected].
All users must go to the Argonne Information Center (AIC) upon arrival to Argonne to show proof of vaccination, exemption letter, testing results, or to pick up a site access credential.
The AIC hours are 6:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday.
The User Program Office and the AIC staff are not available during non-working hours. Users/visitors who arrive at Argonne after hours without notifying the APS User Office in advance of arrival WILL BE DENIED ACCESS.
Face coverings are currently required at all Argonne facilities, regardless of an individual's vaccination status.
Wearable Proximity Devices will be issued to all users for contact tracing purposes and should be worn while working at the APS.

For more details and the most up to date information check the following WEB pages and links there within:

June 1, 2020
Important user information about APS and GM/CA restrictred operations starting the 2020-2 run and until further notice.

The APS is currently allowing only remote access or mail-in data collection. However, the class of samples has been expanded to include:

Expedited access for research on SARS-CoV-2 or other COVID-19 related research
Critical, proprietary pharmaceutical research
Any research involving low-risk samples and most medium-risk samples

Please submit new proposals or beamtime requests at the APS Users Information webpage.

To provide additional beam time for vital remote or mail-in COVID-19 research, as well as for proprietary pharmaceutical-related research, the APS has shortened its upcoming maintenance period to June 1 - 9. Additionally, the late summer maintenance period has been shifted to August 13 - September 14 in coordination with NSLS II so there is no extended time where neither facility is operating, allowing for uninterrupted x-ray access for COVID-19 research.

The revised 2020-2 schedule is: June 10 (8:00 am) - September 28 (8:00 am). The current long range schedule can be found at the APS Long-Range Operations-Schedule webpage.

In addition to providing expedited beamtime for vital COVID-19 research, we are currently working on scheduling user groups that we had to cancel during the 2020-1 run, as well as those who originally applied for beamtime during the 2020-2 run.

March 23, 2020
The APS and GM/CA continue to operate, providing expedited, remote access but only for research related to COVID-19 at this time.

Step-by-step instructions on how to apply for expedited beam time are listed on the APS New User Checklist. All users must be registered and their home institution must have an active User Agreement. Please submit a Rapid Access proposal and state that the research is related to SARS CoV-2 proteins or COVID-19. The Experimental Safety Approval Form (ESAF) should also indicate SARS CoV-2 or COVID-19.

Please do not send any Dewars to us, except those related to COVID-19 research until further notice.

March 21, 2020
Following the Illinois Governor's stay-at-home order, the APS further limited operations beginning at 5 PM Saturday March 21. The situation with respect to remote access is currently in flux, and only SARS-CoV-2 studies being continued for certain. We will use this space to provide update information as soon as it becomes available.

Urgent user information related to COVID-19

GM/CA @ APS offers immediate beam time for SARS-CoV-2 studies

In response to the urgent need for more data on SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, GM/CA @ APS will offer nearly immediate beam time to user groups working on SARS-CoV-2. Contact GM/CA at [email protected] for special access beam time. With the sophisticated GM/CA remote access capability, there is no need to travel to screen samples and collect data.
Click here for additional contact information.

GM/CA @ APS is temporarily switching to all-remote operations

To minimize risk of COVID-2019 transmission and to accommodate visitors with travel restrictions due to the pandemic, Argonne National Laboratory has restricted visitor access to the Lab, including those planning to visit and use the Lab User Facilities, including the APS. GM/[email protected] has an excellent remote access program used by more than 80% of user groups before the pandemic. Therefore we do not anticipate any substantial inconveniences for our users with the change. For those who did not use the GM/CA remote capabilities previously, we encourage you to watch our video guides, to visit our remote access webpage, and to read remote access FAQ.

Shipping samples to GM/CA @ APS during ANL reduced operations

If you have remote-access beam time, please contact your host before shipping samples. We will top up Dewars with liquid nitrogen when they arrive, as usual, and will keep them in cryo condition. However, we cannot hold and top up liquid nitrogen in Dewars for many, many labs around the country. We will need to return your Dewars regardless of the operating status of your lab. Before you ship Dewars to us, we need information on returning Dewars in the event that your lab is not in operation at that time.