A division of the Berkeley Laboratory, the Advanced Light Source (ALS) "is a national user facility that generates intense light for scientific and technological research." Students and educators can learn how ALS, with the use of one of the world's brightest sources of ultraviolet and soft X-ray beams and the world's first third generation synchrotron light source in its energy range, studies the properties of materials, trace metals, and the structures of atoms and molecules. The website features scientific highlights from the facility including its study of why alcohol and water don't mix. Scientists can find the technical specification of the storage ring, photon, and beamline parameters for the many microscopes at the facility. Visiting the User's Guide, qualified researchers can also find out how to become an ALS user.