Nicola Blackwood MP impressed by x-ray visions

Oxford MP Nicola Blackwood enjoyed a whirlwind tour of Diamond Light Source, and gained insights into of the nano-scale structure of materials as diverse as engineering components and protein molecules.

On Friday 11 February, the recently-elected MP for Oxford West and Abingdon made her debut visit to Diamond as part of a Parliamentary Royal Society pairing programme, accompanied by Prof David Wark of Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) and Mark Henderson, science editor of The Times.  

Nicola Blackwood MP inside the powder diffraction beamline with Prof. Chiu Tang, Principal Beamline Scientist

The group met with scientists and university researchers, saw how protein samples are prepared for macromolecular crystallography techniques and how Diamond provides R&D facilities for UK’s leading high-tech companies.

“We are delighted that Nicola has been able to visit Diamond and get a brief glimpse of some of the work we do”, said Prof Gerd Materlik, Chief Executive of Diamond Light Source. “She is very interested in the science and its applications, and we look forward to welcoming her again in future.”

Diamond has expanded rapidly since opening in 2007, and with over 3,000 users and 1,300 published papers, is now recognised as a vital facility for UK science and a catalyst for innovation and growth. Many of the experiments involve collaboration with other facilities at RAL including ISIS, the Central Laser Facility and the new Research Complex at Harwell. 

Life sciences research at Diamond