Working at the CLS was an amazing opportunity afforded to me while I was completing my M.Sc. at the U of S.. We are certainly very lucky to have such an amazing national facility in Saskatchewan.
— Kendra Purton
Most people have at least heard of synchrotron located at the University of Saskatchewan.
But less known is that there is now a Yorkton connection to the Canadian Light Source Inc. (CLS) facility.
“I was very lucky to have been a part of a research group that had previous experience studying soils at the Canadian Light Source (CLS), so our application for time at the CLS certainly referenced the expertise of a number of researchers who generous enough to help with the project,” said Kendra Purton who grew up on her family’s market gardening farm a few kilometres west of Yorkton, and graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 2005.
“In addition, the scientists at the beamline we worked on are very accommodating, letting us ‘dirty up’ their beamline with our soil samples.”
The CLS website explains what a synchrotron is and what a beam line is in regards to research.
“A synchrotron is a source of brilliant light that scientists can use to gather information about the structural and chemical properties of materials at the molecular level,” it detailed.
“A synchrotron produces light by using radio frequency waves and powerful electro-magnets to accelerate electrons to nearly the speed of light. Energy is added to the electrons as they accelerate so that, when the magnets alter their course, they naturally emit a very brilliant, highly focused light. Different spectra of light, such as Infrared, Ultraviolet, and X-rays, are directed down beamlines where researchers choose the desired wavelength to study their samples. The researchers observe the interaction between the light and matter in their sample at the endstations (small laboratories).
“This tool can be used to probe matter and analyze a host of physical, chemical, geological, and biological processes. Information obtained by scientists can be used to help design new drugs, examine the structure of surfaces to develop more effective motor oils, build smaller, more powerful computer chips, develop new materials for safer medical implants, and help with the clean-up of mining wastes, to name just a few applications.”
Currently an environmental consultant, at the time of the research Purton was involved in at the CLS she was a graduate student at the U of S in the Department of Soil Science.
“I am certainly not the most qualified person to discuss the capabilities of the CLS, but it is a very unique facility, being Canada’s only synchrotron,” she said. “Essentially, synchrotrons accelerate electrons to near the speed of light. Magnets are used to alter the path of these electrons, which generates brilliant, focused light. Different spectra of light (such as X-rays, infrared light, etc.) are then directed to the many different beamlines at the facility.
“The experiments our lab group completed there took place on one of the many beamlines at the CLS, which allowed us to use soft, or long-wavelength, x-rays to probe the molecular structure of soil organic nitrogen and carbon.”
As someone with a long interest in science, Purton said her CLS experience was certainly special as a researcher.
“Working at the CLS was an amazing opportunity afforded to me while I was completing my M.Sc. at the U of S,” she said. “We are certainly very lucky to have such an amazing national facility in Saskatchewan. Having access to such state-of-the-art facilities such as the CLS was certainly vital for my own research, and I’m sure will continue to play a large role in ensuring that Canadian research in many disciplines remains cutting-edge …
“I think the most exciting thing about our research was the ability to examine soils from a variety of locations to predict what differences we can expect to see with climate change,” said Purton.
Purton then provided some additional detail about the specific project.
“Our hypothesis was that differences in climate and vegetation would lead to differences in soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil organic nitrogen (SON) chemistry, which are thought to affect the functionality of soil organic matter (SOM),” she said.
“Additionally, SOM chemistry is important in that the molecular nature of SOC and SON may affect the stability of SOM. This has implications for climate change feedbacks, as when SOC degrades it can produce carbon dioxide—an important greenhouse gas; alternatively, if SOM is stable, it may act as a carbon sink.”
In terms of the synchrotron use, Purton again offered more detail.
“The beamline we performed our experiments on at the synchrotron uses soft x-rays, which allows us to examine carbon and nitrogen speciation in environmental samples, which was central to our research,” she said. “It allowed us to determine, for example, if soil organic nitrogen was mainly in the form of amide, heterocyclic nitrogen, or another form.”
The results were not exactly what might have been anticipated.
“Interestingly, we found that SOC and SON speciation in surface soils was only modestly affected by differences in climate and vegetation; we found greater variation in these SOM constituents with depth,” said Purton. “These findings suggest that, in the soils we studied, SOC and SON chemistry is largely unresponsive to climatic change on the magnitude of the mean annual temperature gradient used in our study (~0.7 °C), and is similarly unresponsive to associated land use shifts. Importantly, our research focussed only on SOC and SON quality, and did not quantify the amount of C or nitrogen stored in soils, which may still be affected greatly by differences in land use and climate.
Purton said her interest in science took root on the farm.
“Growing up on a farm, I had always been interested in the environment but I had not realized that I could turn my passion for the environment into a career until I took an introductory course in environmental science at the University of Saskatchewan,” she said.
But what was it about being on a farm that had her attention focused on the environment even at a young age?
“Growing up on a farm sparked my interest in environmental issues by highlighting the importance of land stewardship,” said Purton. “Simply by having the opportunity to observe the effects of changing weather and/or management practices on our land, as well as being able to watch crops grow throughout the season, helped me to understand how everything is dependent on the health of an ecosystem.
“I also think being so closely connected to the direct results of land stewardship certainly nurtured this interest for me.
“I’ve always been interested in science, so it seemed only natural to combine these two passions when choosing my career path.”
Purton received her B.Sc. in Renewable Resource Management program from the U of S, and then completed a M.Sc. in Soil Science. Her involvement in science is still not a typical career path for a woman, but she said that old reality is changing.
“While women are often underrepresented in science, my personal experience has been very different,” she said. “I think that the environmental sciences in particular tend to draw many women into the field, which is wonderful. I think the most important thing we can do to continue encouraging women and others to pursue careers in science is to ensure that these careers exist and are equally available to everyone. As long as we continue to feed our curiosity and funding is available, I hope that both men and women will continue to pursue careers in science.”
The CLS is Canada’s national centre for synchrotron research. The CLS is a world-class, state-of-the-art facility that is advancing Canadian science, enhancing the competitiveness of Canadian industry and contributing to the quality of life of people around the world, details the website.
“Launched in 1999 and officially opened in 2004, the synchrotron is one of the largest science projects in Canadian history and was the product of an unprecedented collaboration of federal, provincial and municipal governments and agencies, universities from across the country and industry.
“The CLS is committed to being a world-leading centre of excellence in synchrotron science and its applications by working with the scientific community to promote the use of synchrotron light, promoting industrial partnerships and innovation, and engaging in scientific and educational outreach.
“Currently, the CLS has just under 200 employees including scientists, engineers, technicians and administrative personnel. Located next to Innovation Place, one of Canada’s leading high-tech industrial parks, the CLS provides a much-needed national R&D capability and strengthens Saskatoon’s reputation as Canada’s ‘Science City.’”
