Vercion en espanol
Vercao em portugues
 Contact Annie Héroux
631) 344-4454  heroux@bnl.gov

"Mail-in Data Collection" is inexpensive (cost of sending a dewar) and an efficient means of beamline operation created in response to the growing need for frequent synchrotron time by the protein crystallographic community. Users send their crystals to a NSLS beamline for local beamline personnel to collect data on the user's behalf.

 See article about Mail-in : Acta Cryst
collaboration and
publication policy

Requirements for Shipments from outside USA

Experiments we  perform at any of our six beamlines
X8C, X12B*, X12C, X26C   bending magnet beamlines
 X25 and  X29*                          insertion device beamlines
automounter available
                                                                   




Mail-in team   beamline scientists working with you on your projects.
Ask us about :
 Q-project
 Robot compatibility
Spectrophotometer(X26C)

Howard Robinson
hhr@bnl.gov
Annie Héroux
heroux@bnl.gov
contact person
Alexei Soares
soares@bnl.gov


publication list
poster at the ACA 2006




what you should do
what we will do
  1. Contact Annie Héroux if you have any questions about the feasibility of the desired experiment.
  2. Provide us with contact information and a description for each project you are sending, as follows.
    1. Login to the our new database (PXDB) and create your group information.
    2. Fill out a Mail-in request.
    3. Fill out a Project Form in PX project manager for each project you are sending crystals.
    4. Provide us with some information about the crystals via the Pucks/Cane Setup when they are ready to be sent.
    Your proposal will be reviewed and we will inform you of the outcome via email and through the PXDB.
      ***If your samples are potentially hazardous we will need to know in advance so we can consider safety issues and help you fill out a Safety Approval Form.
  1. Send us a dry-shipper with cryo-cooled crystals, an alignment pin, and a paper copy of the cane form. 
  2. Tips for a successful trip
This procedure will be followed unless you specify otherwise:
  1. Upon arrival of the dry-shipper we will fill it with liquid nitrogen.
  2. Screen the crystals so we can determine data collections parameters and crystal quality. 
  3. A collection sweep will then be executed on the best crystal. In the case of multiwavelength collection, data at peak wavelength is collected first, than inflection point and remote. The resulting data will be fully processed and scaled, and an electron density map will be produced where possible. You can see what data has been collected "live" using the database tool Sweep Data log.
  4. The resulting data files will be burn on DVDs or set up for FTP pick-up. An alternate way to send the data is via firewire disk.
  5. The dry-shipper with crystals will be sent back.

Last modified 29 April 2008 by ah