Crystallography matters ... more!

Crystals - known to everybody as gems, snow crystals, or salt grains - are widespread in the nature around us. The investigation of their structure and properties means looking inside the intimate of atom geometries - a look contributing to the scientific development of chemistry, solid state physics, Earth sciences, and even, surprisingly, biology and medicine.

A century has passed since the crystals first revealed their secrets. In the meantime crystallography has become the pillar of the atomic and molecular sciences, showing us the structure of DNA, allowing the comprehension and the development of computer memories, visualizing the formation of proteins within cells, and yielding ever new materials and drugs.

This is why on July 2012, resolution 66/284 of the General Assembly of the United Nations declared 2014 - after 100 years from the awarding of the first Nobel Prize for the discovery of the diffraction of X-rays by crystals - the International Year of Crystallography.

The exhibition organized at the University of Padova wishes to celebrate the theoretical and applied aspects of crystallography on the occasion of the International Year.

See the photos of the exhibition taken during the Opening Ceremony on 5 October 2013

IYCr2104 crystallography awareness and Outreach programme at KURNOOL Andhra Pradesh

Coordinators: Nandikotkur Padmaja (Indian Academy of Sciences) and M. S. Rajesh (Indian Institute of Science)

With support and motivation from Professor Gautam R. Desiraju, President of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr)

The objectives of the Crystallography Outreach programme at Kurnool were to:

• propagate the importance of crystallography in everyday life to school children and to increase awareness of the science of crystallography;
• teach fundamentals of crystals and crystallography; 
• illustrate the universality of Science and the importance of Science and its application to humanity, referring to crystallography’s contributions to medical science and to other areas of humanity;
• brief about careers opportunities in Science;
• convey information about UNESCO and its work to provide high-quality education to children as a fundamental human right.    

The event was a great success. About 350 students were interactive in their approach

N. Padmaja's lecture on crystallography was seriously heard by the Principal and schoolchildren. Her fluency in English and Telugu science and technical terminologies  was well received.

M. S. Rajesh gave an introductory talk about “what is and why IYCr2014”, why inside of the crystals cannot be “seen” with the microscope, meaning of IYCr2014 logo, Dorothy and her inventions, information on penicillin etc.    

An IYCr2014 and crystallography quiz question paper was a huge hit with the children, many of them achieving excellent scores. Telugu translated quiz question paper was prepared for Telugu medium schools children. Once paper was in the children’s hand. There facial expression message  and discussion among students indicated that for the first time there local language academics skills were recognized beyond their schools and examinations papers.  

The Thank you, Dorothy poster prepared to advertise the International Year was quite new to students and there were questions about the life and career of Dorothy Hodgkin. Students who answered the quiz questions received gifts. All the children immensely liked a presentation about crystallization in chocolates, as well as the opportunity to sample real chocolates and candy! The children also appreciated the introductory English Crystallography matters booklet.

We are  thankful to Sri. Lakshmana Murthy for coordinating with school and helping us to successfully conduct this programme.   

Neighboring  engineering colleges, junior colleges and other schools spreading from vicinity to far off places have asked for similar crystallography awareness programmes.

This outreach programe has been well covered by various newspapers.

Reported by M. S. Rajesh -SSCU- IISc Bangalore 

From gigantic and exotic cave formations to everyday ingredients such as salt and sugar, crystals are all around us. In our latest special exhibition – Crystals: Beauty, Science, Structure – we look at the history of the study of crystals, an endeavour which has prized their mysterious and natural beauty, as well as probed their fundamental atomic structures.

In the middle ages, natural minerals were thought to carry occult properties, perhaps suggested by their startling array of colours and geometric forms. These regular forms promised a special insight into nature and from the 17th century onwards they were exactly measured and their symmetries exhaustively classified.

At the turn of the 20th century even deeper secrets were illuminated by the ground-breaking technique of x-ray crystallography. Today, crystallography is the hidden science behind many aspects of our lives.

This year, 2013, celebrates the centenary of the pioneering work of father and son William and Lawrence Bragg, which laid the foundations for the science of x-ray crystallography. The International Year of Crystallography takes place during 2014.

“L’ENIGMA ESCHER- PARADOSSI GRAFICI TRA ARTE E GEOMETRIA” is the title of a major retrospective exhibition of the work of Maurits Cornelis Escher, on display in Reggio Emilia until 23 March 2014.

The exhibition presents the work of the Dutch graphic artist from his debut on the scene to his latest years, bringing together 130 works, including lithographs, etchings and drawings, on loan from museums, libraries and national institutes – among which the Galleria d’Arte Moderna of Rome and the Fondazione Wolfsoniana of Genoa – as well as from some important, private collections.

A special section is dedicated to tilings, with a panel illustrating the 17 crystallographic planar groups and some original examples of Escher's plane-filling drawings.

The exhibition will then move to Caraglio (Cuneo, Italy), where it will be on display from 29 March to 29 June.

The exhibition is included in the events for IYCr2014 celebrations in Italy. 

Read the press release mentioning the connection of the exhibition with IYCr2014 (in Italian)

This year's exhibition at Carolina Rediviva, Platonic Solids and Quasicrystals, is all about crystallography and shows how this science has been perceived over time. By collaborating with the Museum of Evolution at Uppsala University, we can exhibit books side by side with real crystals, models of crystals and instruments that have been used to measure the angles of these strange formations that seem to have been cut and polished by human hand whereas in fact they have been shaped by uniform atomic structures.

Welcome on a beautiful journey through this collection of historical scientific books and artifacts.

A public lecture at the Novosibirsk Planetarium as a part of the Day of Sciences in Russia. 

The lecture introduces the International Year of Crystallography, explains what crystals are, how they are studied, what can crystallography do for us. We discuss how studying crystals helps to explore Space, and how exploring Space helps to grow and study crystals. The lecture is preceeded by the IUCr movie "What crystallography can do for you"

Target audience: school-children (10-13 years old)
Language: Russian
Duration: 40 minutes

IYCr2104 crystallography awareness programme and Outreach programme at Bethamcherla Andhra Pradesh

Coordinators: Nandikotkur Padmaja (Indian Academy of Sciences) and M. S. Rajesh (Indian Institute of Science)

With support and motivation from Professor Gautam R. Desiraju, President of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr)

The objectives of the Crystallography Outreach programme at Kurnool were to:

• Propagate the importance of crystallography in everyday life to school children and to increase awareness of the science of crystallography;
• teach fundamentals of crystals and crystallography; 
• illustrate the universality of Science and the importance of Science and its application to humanity, referring to crystallography’s contributions to medical science and to other areas of humanity;
• brief about careers opportunities in Science;
• convey information about UNESCO and its work to provide high-quality education to children as a fundamental human right.    

The event was a great success. About 350 students were interactive in their approach

N. Padmaja's lecture on crystallography was seriously heard by the Principal and schoolchildren. Her fluency in English and Telugu science and technical terminologies  was well received.

M. S. Rajesh gave an introductory talk about “what is and why IYCr2014” why inside of the crystals cannot be “seen” with the microscope, meaning of IYCr2014 logo, Dorothy and her inventions, information on penicillin, etc.    

An IYCr2014 and crystallography quiz question paper was a huge hit with the children, many of them achieving excellent scores. Telugu Translated quiz question paper was prepared for Telugu medium schools children. Once paper was in the children’s hand. There facial expression message  and discussion among students  indicated that for the first time there local language academics skills were recognized beyond their schools and examinations papers.  

The Thank you, Dorothy poster prepared to advertise the International Year was quite new to students and there were questions about the life and career of Dorothy Hodgkin. Students who answered the quiz questions received gifts. All the children immensely liked a presentation about crystallization in chocolates, as well as the opportunity to sample real chocolates and candy! The children also appreciated the introductory English Crystallography matters booklet.

We are thankful to Sri. Lakshmana Murthy for coordinating with school and helping us to successfully conduct this programme.

Neighboring  engineering colleges, junior colleges and  other schools spreading from vicinity to far off  places have asked for similar crystallography awareness programmes.

This outreach programe has been well covered by various newspapers.

Reported by M. S. Rajesh -SSCU- IISc Bangalore

Traditional one-day Rozhovory seminar (Discussions on problems of X-ray and neutron structure analysis), already at its 293rd edition.

These seminars started in 1954!

This time it is organized in a recently founded Institute of Nanomaterials, Advanced technologies and Innovations at TU Liberec, Northern Bohemia. The opening of the meeting will be dedicated to the International Year of Crystallography. The full programme is available at the website.

The 293rd Rozhovory is the first joint meeting of the Czech and Slovak Crystallographic Associations in 2014. 

To celebrate the International Year of Crystallography, "Caffè-Scienza Firenze" invites you to a special event on 13 February 2014 

Programme:
5 pm: Visit to the Crystallography Museum of University of Florence
6 pm: Lecture by Prof Luca Bindi (Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze)

The world of crystallography was forced to reassess its rules about thirty years ago with the introduction of the concept of quasicrystals, solids with rotational symmetries forbidden to crystals, and the discovery of the first examples in the laboratory. Since then, more than one hundred different types of quasicrystals have been synthesized in the laboratory under carefully controlled conditions. The original theory suggested that quasicrystals can be as robust and stable as crystals, perhaps even forming under natural conditions. This thought motivated a decade-long search for a natural quasicrystal, culminating in the discovery of icosahedrite (Al₆₃Cu₂₄Fe₁₃), an icosahedral quasicrystal found in a museum sample consisting of several typical rock-forming minerals combined with exotic rare metal alloy minerals, like khatyrkite and cupalite. During the talk the protagonist will briefly recount the extraordinary story of the search and discovery of the first natural quasicrystal.

The exhibition "Living with crystal" (original title in Slovenian: Živeti s kristali), organized on the occasion of the International Year of Crystallography, will be open from 13 February 2014 to 11 January 2015 at the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, Ljubljana. 

On display: Photographs of minerals, Crystal drawings, Mineral and crystal collections, Jewellery, Fluorescent minerals, Interactive presentation of minerals and rocks on Biedermeier tables, Interactive play "Umek the Mineralogist", Microscopic world of crystals.

Authors: Miha Jeršek, Mirjan Žorž, Breda Činč Juhant, Katarina Fuchs

Lecturers of the symposium: George Phillips (Rice University), Choel Kim (Baylor College of Medicine), John Spence (Arizona State University), Jane Tao (Rice University), Stephen Burley (Rutgers University

In addition, the following exhibits are scheduled:

1) Crystallography Over the Years: A Brief History
This booth will illustrate, in brief, the development of X-Ray Crystallography and milestones reached over the years.

2) Growing Crystals
Angela Criswell, Rigaku Corporation, and her team will help students learn about growing crystals and then viewing them under a microscope.  This booth features the Rigaku Alchemist, an automated system for high-throughput crystal growing.

3) Light Diffraction
Jim Clarage, University of St. Thomas, will lead students through the concepts of light diffraction that lead to the unique patterns created during X-ray diffraction during crystallographic discovery.

4) Modeling Proteins
To understand the 3D structure of proteins, students will use paper models to build a 3D representation of protein structures.

5) Protein Visualization in 3D
George Phillips, Rice University, will help students visualize and understand the 3D structure of proteins and implications of these unique structures.

6) Structural Analysis Tools
Many structural analysis tools have been created to help scientists derive protein structures based on X-Ray diffraction data and model their structure.  BVV Prasad, Baylor College of Medicine, will lead students through interactive modules to introduce students to the software and how new information can be gleaned from these tools.

The Pondicherry Science Forum in collaboration with the Department of Science, Technology & Environment, Government of Puducherry is holding a programme as part of the National Science Day celebrations on the 15th February 2014 at 10.00 am, with a series of two lectures on the "International Year of Crystallography". 

Prof. S. Krishnasamy, Department of Genetic Engineering, Madurai Kamaraj University who will deliver the lecture "International Year of Crystallography: Looking at Crystals with X-rays".

Prof. R. Usha, Department of Plant Bio Technology, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai would deliver the lecture on "X-ray Crystallography and viruses".

The Programme would be attended by Mr. M. Dwarakanath, Director, Department of Science, Technology & Environment, Government of Puducherry, Dr. S. Arulselvan, President, Pondicherry Science Forum apart from students, teachers from schools, colleges, Pondicherry University and also general public.

Those who wish to participate please contact us at +91-413-2290733, +91-9443225288 or email us at cerdpsf@gmail.com 

SYMPOSIUM

Neutron and X-Ray Studies of Advanced Materials –VII- Challenges of the Future World Proposed and Approved by Mechanical Behavior Committee and
To be held at the 2014 TMS Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA USA

ABSTRACT DEADLINE: July 15, 2013
MANUSCRIPT DEADLINE: February 31, 2014

OBJECTIVE: Provide fundamental and advanced understanding of advanced materials using neutron and X-ray diffraction techniques

Sponsored by: TMS Mechanical Behavior Committee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Air Force Research Laboratory

In 2012/13 the diffraction community celebrated 100 years since the prediction of X-ray diffraction by M. Laue, and following his suggestion the first beautiful diffraction experiment by W. Friedrich and P. Knipping. To acknowledge the importance of the diffraction discovery, the United Nations (UN) declared 2014 the international year of crystallography. The significance of techniques based on the analysis of the diffraction of X-rays, neutrons, electrons and Mossbauer photons discovered later, has continued to increase in the past 100 years.
The aim of this symposium is to provide a forum for discussion of using state-of-the-art neutron and X-ray scattering techniques for probing advanced materials. These techniques have been widely used to characterize materials structures across all length scales, from atomic to nano, meso, and macroscopic scales. With the development of sample environments, in-situ experiments, e.g., at temperatures and applied mechanical load, are becoming routine.
The development of ultra-brilliant third-generation synchrotron X-ray sources, together with advances in X-ray optics, has created intense X-ray microbeams, which provide the best opportunities for in-depth understanding of mechanical behavior in a broad spectrum of materials. Important applications include ultra-sensitive elemental detection by X-ray fluorescence/absorption and microdiffraction to identify phase and strain with submicrometer spatial resolution. X-ray microdiffraction is a particularly exciting application compared with alternative probes of crystalline structure, orientation and strain. X-ray microdiffraction is non-destructive with good strain resolution, competitive or superior spatial resolution in thick samples, and with the ability to probe below the sample surface. Advances in neutron sources and instrumentation also bring new opportunities in neutron scattering research.    In addition to characterizing the structures, neutrons are also a great tool for elucidating the dynamics of materials. Because neutrons are highly penetrating, neutrons have been used to map stress in engineering systems. Neutrons have also played a vital role in our understanding of the magnetism and magnetic properties. Specialized instruments have been built to gain physical insights of the fundamental mechanisms governing phase transformation and mechanical behaviors of materials.
The application of those techniques, in combination with theoretical simulations and numerical modeling, will lead to major breakthroughs in materials science in the foreseeable future that will contribute to the development of materials technology and industrial innovation.

Some of the areas (but not limited to) to be explored:
1. Crystallography and Diffraction Centennial
2. Deformation and fracture
3. Texture and recrystallization
4. Analyses of complex, nano-crystalline and disordered materials
5. Spatially resolved measurements at different length scales and 3-dimensional methods
6. Time-resolved measurements of materials processing
7. Characterization of surfaces, interfaces and thin films
8. Theoretical modeling and simulations
9. Phase transition, evolution and critical scattering
10. Diffuse scattering studies of fundamental materials properties
11. Mechanical property characterization, with an emphasis on measurements at the nano- and micro-scale
12. Industrial applications
13. New experimental and analysis methods

Abstracts are due by July 1, 2013 to http://cmsplus.tms.org. The full length papers are planned to be published in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A.
Organizers:
Dr. R.I. Barabash, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Materials Science & Technology Div., Bldg. 4500S MS-6118 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6118, USA Tel: (865) 241-7230 Fax: (865) 5747659 E-mail: barabashr@ornl.gov
Prof. G. Kostorz Professor Emeritus of Physics ETH Zurich CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland kostorz@emeritus.ethz.ch
Prof. Brent Fultz Materials Science and Applied Physics California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125
Tel: (626) 395 2170 Fax: (626) 795 6132 e-mail: btf@caltech.edu
Prof. P. K. Liaw The University of Tennessee Materials Science & Engineering Knoxville, TN 37996-2200 Tel: (865) 974-4858 Fax: (865) 974-4115 E-mail: pliaw@utk.edu

The event aims to bring together crystallographers of our country and who are in some way linked to this specialty, and so commemorate the International Year of Crystallography. The exhibitions will be carried out by researchers in the areas of crystallography, physics, chemistry, archaeology, archaeometry and conservatives of the National Cultural Heritage. Undergraduate and graduate students from universities in our country will also participate as exhibitors.

More information can be found at http://fisica.unmsm.edu.pe/index.php/Tercer_encuentro_de_cristalografia
or by e-mail: encuentrocristalografia@gmail.com

Download the poster of the event here

This workshop is aimed to introduce crystallography to elementary and high schools teachers. The main goal is to improve teachers’ knowledge in crystal formation and its techniques. This will allow teachers to elaborate laboratory projects that include crystallography principles according to their own students’ level and to encourage the participation in the national and international crystal growing competition.
The workshop will be opened by Diego Lamas, President of AACr.

Topics:

1.  Introduction to crystallography

2.  Atomic structure, chemical bonds and periodic table

3.  Types of crystalline solids: metallic, ionic and covalent

4.  Crystalline systems

5.  Introduction to structure determination using X-ray diffraction

6.  Crystal growing 

Day 1: February 20, 2014.

Day 2: February 22, 2014.

Day 3: March 2, 2014

Place: Instituto Balseiro and Centro Atómico Bariloche, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.

Contact: Muestra CAB-IB <muestracabib@cab.cnea.gov.ar>