First CALIPSOplus external users at the INFN-LNF DAFNE-Light synchrotron radiation facility after COVID-19 lock-downs in Italy and Cyprus.
In September 2020 the INFN-LNF DAFNE-Light synchrotron radiation facility (https://web.infn.it/Dafne_Light/) welcomed a researcher from the Cyprus Institute (www.cyi.ac.cy) to perform the measurements related to the approved DIAGHREM proposal: Identification, characterisation and exploration of diagenesis of ancient human remains in Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East, within the Transnational Access granted by the CALIPSOplus EU Project (https://www.calipsoplus.eu/).
The DIAGHREM proposal is a collaboration between the Cyprus Institute’s projects BioMERA (https://biomera.cyi.ac.cy/), FF-MAC (https://face2face.cyi.ac.cy/) projects and SESAME (https://www.sesame.org.jo/).
The research focus is on ancient human remains from the island of Cyprus, using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to explore the preservation status of these almost 6000-year-old remains.
‘I am very grateful to have been able to prepare samples and conduct measurements at the DAFNE-Light facility at this time’ says Dr Simone Lemmers, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow on FF-MAC project. ‘Despite all the healthy and safety measures I felt really welcome’.
‘Restarting our international research activities after the lock-downs with this project focusing on people who lived so long time ago has a special significance’ stated Dr Mariangela Cestelli Guidi, the Infrared Beamline Scientist at DAFNE-Light.
‘With careful planning the team was able to successfully prepare challenging archaeological samples for infrared spectroscopy and perform the first measurements for this project’ said Dr Gihan Kamel, the Infrared Beamline Scientist at SESAME.
‘This successful research visit to the DAFNE-Light facility during these unprecedented times offers perspectives for continuity and new ways forward in international scientific collaborations’ said Dr Kirsi Lorentz, the project leader for BioMERA and FF-MAC (The Cyprus Institute).
Transnational access to DAFNE was made possible by the CALIPSOplus EU Project Grant Agreement N. 730872, WP15 – TA10 Transnational Access to DAFNE-SPARC. The Cyprus part of the project receives financial support from the Face to Face: Meet an Ancient Cypriot (FF-MAC) project, which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation (grant no. INTEGRATED/0609/29), and BioMERA (Platform for Biosciences and Human Health in Cyprus: MicroCT Enabled and Synchrotron Radiation Enabled Analyses), Grant No [INFRASTRUCTURES/1216/0009] by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation.