Given that most people reading this probably also read the UsefulChem Blog I would guess that they have already figured out I am visiting the States. However as I am now here and due to jet lag have a few hours to kill before breakfast I thougt I might detail the intinerary for anyone interested.

Currently I am in Gaithersburg at the CanSAS V meeting. This is a meeting with a focus on devoloping common tools, formats, and data analysis techniques for Small Angle Scattering. Small Angle Scattering is a technique that provides structural information on the length scales of nanometers in solution, complementing crystallography and NMR data. These experiments are usually done at large facilities that generate high fluxes of X-rays or neutrons.

On Tuesday I will be talking on the need to record not only the data from these experiments but metadata such as the description of the sample preparation using our Lab Blog as an example of how this can be done. I will also be pressing the open science button by making the point that none of this is useful if the data is not available to people. I should also mention Jonathon Rawle who has made some comments on this Blog here is also talking on SAS data analysis tools.

On Wednesday I fly to Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tenessee and spend Thursday there to see how they are setting up the Biological Science facilities that provide support for users of the new Spallation Neutron Source and the existing HFIR reactor neutron source.

Friday morning I fly to Philadelphia where I am really looking forward to meeting Jean-Claude Bradley in person. I will be giving a talk there as has already been publicised by Jean-Claude. This will focus on the Lab Blog and how we are aiming to interconnect it with other web services. I will also offer some thoughts on the comparisons and contrasts with the other Open Notebook Science and other similar projects going on at the moment.

Sunday morning I fly out to Boston (having managed to get an extra hours sleep in both England [yesterday] and the US [next Sunday] as the clocks go back – I am going to pay for those two extra hours of sleep somewhere). Sunday afternoon I am giving a talk which is joint between the OpenWetWare series and the iGEM programme. I believe this talk is being recorded and will be made available on the OpenWetWare site (no pressure then). It will be really great to meet up with the OpenWetWare and Simile people and I am also hoping to meet up with Jeremiah Faith to talk about his experiences and views on ONS.

Wednesday morning I fly back to the UK. Probably a little exhausted.