Crystallography matters ... more!

The National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) in partnership with UNESCO, hosted a public seminar in celebration of the International Year of Crystallography at the Geological Survey in Windhoek. The aim of the seminar was to increase public awareness of the way in which crystallography underpins most of the technological developments in modern society but also its role in cultural heritage and art history, The International Year of Crystallography commemorates the centennial of the birth of X-ray crystallography, thanks to the work of Max von Laue and William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg. The year 2014 also commemorates the 50th anniversary of another Nobel Prize, that awarded to Dorothy Hodgkin for her work on vitamin B12 and penicillin.

 

Even though crystallography underpins all the sciences today, it remains relatively unknown to the general public. One aim of the Year is to promote education and public awareness through a variety of activities, such as the public seminar.

 

The NCRST as a the national agency responsible for the coordination and promotion of research, science, technology and innovation, together with UNESCO organised this event to show how crystallography can assist in reducing extreme poverty and hunger, improving access to clean water and safe sanitation, curbing child mortality and improving maternal health, among other challenges.

 

“There is a need to broaden the base of crystallography, in order to give more developing countries expertise in this critical field for their scientific and industrial development. This is all the more urgent in that crystallography will play a key role in the transition to sustainable development in coming decades”, said Dr Eino Mvula, Chief Executive Officer of the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology.