The 4th International Pan American Light Sources for Agriculture (PALSA 2025) meeting is scheduled to take place from August 20 to 22, 2025, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Click on the link below to visit the official webpage for the conference:

PALSA 2025 is a hybrid event that will feature in-person sessions as well as live-streamed academic talks for virtual attendees. The central theme for PALSA 2025 is "Advancing Sustainable Agriculture and Food Research". The conference will focus on how synchrotron-based research can be applied to address current challenges in agriculture and food systems.

Conference Objectives

The primary objective of PALSA 2025 is to raise awareness about the role of synchrotron light sources in agricultural research. The event is also intended to promote the adoption of advanced imaging and analytical techniques among researchers and industry professionals by showcasing examples of leading-edge research in this area.

Background and History

The PALSA series began in 2019, with the first event hosted by the Canadian Light Source (CLS) in collaboration with the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) in the United States and the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS). Subsequent meetings have rotated among these three light source facilities, with PALSA 2021 hosted by LNLS and PALSA 2023 by CHESS.

Agriculture and Synchrotron Research

Canada is recognized as one of the major global producers of agricultural products. As demands for higher crop yields and global food security increase, research in agriculture is being enhanced through the use of synchrotron-based tools. The Canadian Light Source has prioritized agricultural science due to its facility's capabilities, resident expertise, and location near major agricultural research institutions.

Important Dates for the PALSA 2025

• January 15, 2025 – Registration opens
• March 31, 2025 – Deadline for full consideration of abstracts (oral and poster)
• June 15, 2025 – Early bird registration deadline
• July 15, 2025 – Deadline for in-person registration and poster-only submissions
• August 20, 2025 – Final deadline for virtual attendance registration

Registration Fees (All in CAD)

• Academic/Government: $555 (early), $721.50 (late)
• Student/Postdoc: $333
• Industry: $832.50
• Virtual Attendance Only: $111
• Banquet (optional): $111

Venue

The main conference venue is Remai Modern, located in the River Landing area of downtown Saskatoon.

Click on the link below to visit the official webpage for the PALSA 2025 conference:

https://event.fourwaves.com/palsa-2025/pages

Satellite Workshop: XAS and Microprobe

Preceding the main conference, a satellite workshop titled “Introduction to X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) and Microprobe” will be held on August 18 and 19, 2025. The workshop is designed as a two-day course focusing on agriculture and food-related applications of XAS and X-ray fluorescence imaging technique. It includes lectures, Q&A sessions, and hands-on training in data processing and interpretation. Participants will also have the opportunity to tour several beamlines at the CLS. The course is suitable for early-stage and intermediate users of XAS. Visit the link below to get more details about the XAS and Microprobe workshop schedule and registration process:

https://event.fourwaves.com/cls-xas-workshop/pages