On behalf of His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal, the Chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission and Director General of the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME), Professor Dr. Khaled Toukan, inaugurated the 14th Scientific Workshop for SESAME Users at Yarmouk University. The event was attended by Yarmouk University President Professor Dr. Malek Al-Shraireh, Commissioner of Nuclear Sciences at the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission Professor Dr. Firas Afaneh, and organized by the Jordanian National Committee for SESAME in cooperation with the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Science.
Dr. Toukan emphasized that SESAME, established in Jordan in 2017, represents a distinguished national achievement. He highlighted the importance of synchrotron light as a fundamental source and tool contributing to many fields of modern technology. The center hosts advanced beamlines serving diverse scientific disciplines. Since 2018, SESAME has welcomed numerous research teams, established a national user network, and recently received 141 proposals, bringing the total to 1,299 proposals from 48 countries. Of these, 630 proposals were accepted after international peer review, resulting in 160 publications in high-impact scientific journals. Jordanian researchers submitted 154 proposals, with 76 accepted and 20 published, placing Jordan third in publication output after Turkey and Egypt.
Professor Dr. Firas Afaneh, Chair of the Jordanian National Committee for SESAME, explained that the workshop aims to familiarize researchers and students with the use of different beamlines, application procedures for experiments, and the latest scientific and technical developments in synchrotron applications. It also provides an interactive platform for exchanging expertise between Jordanian researchers and colleagues from member states. He stressed the workshop’s role in promoting awareness of SESAME, encouraging participation in grants and training programs, and supporting innovation and applied research in vital sectors.
The program included a lecture by Dr. Massoud Harfoush titled “Overview of Beamlines and Scientific Applications at SESAME”. Two scientific sessions followed:
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First session (chaired by Dr. Firas Afaneh) featured presentations on oxidation states and crystal lattice effects on luminescence in europium-doped materials (Dr. Ruba Al-Zoubi), thermal and spectroscopic studies of drug-excipient interactions using modafinil–Gelucire mixtures (Dr. Dirar Al-Omari), and infrared microspectroscopy in pharmaceutical research (Dr. Randa Mansour).
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Second session (chaired by Dr. Manal Al-Abdallah and Dr. Mulham Oueida) included studies on EXAFS using synchrotron radiation (Dr. Razan Araida) and XAFS/XRF analysis of cave deposits to reconstruct Holocene paleoclimate in Jordan (Dr. Mohammad Al-Qudah).
