Many initiatives have been and are being organized to involve schoolchildren at Mudaliarpet, Pondicherry (India) into crystallography on the occasion of IYCr2014.

1. At first, the students were given a brief introduction on various crystals, which made them think about how crystals are formed.

2. Following this, a team of students were selected for a project on Crystal Growth - investigating the size, shape and number of crystals formed, taking various substances such as table salt, sugar, epsom salt, borax, potassium nitrate and alum. 

3. A Radio Talk was given by the teacher and the students on the "International Year of Crystallography".

4. A lecture was given on the topic to the school students, following which a demonstration -cum- exhibition, along with a poster presentation by the teacher is to be arranged for view for the public around the school locale. 

5. A next attempt to telecast the above in the television is made.

6. Students of our school are participating in the IYCr2014 Crystal Growing Competition. 

The photograph exhibition "Entre Art et Sciences: le Corail en Images, de l'Animal au Cristal" will be hosted at the Scientific Centre of Monaco (CSM) from 7 April to 3 June 2014.

El Museo de Historia Natural "Dr. Carlos A. Torres de la Llosa" de Montevideo, Uruguay ha realizado una exhibición especial de Cristales y Estructuras Cristalinas aprovechando su colección de minerales para celebrar el Año Internacional de la Cristalografía 2014. En la exposición se agregan a los minerales algunas figuras con las estructuras atómicas correspondientes.

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The Natural History Museum "Dr. Carlos A. Torres de la Llosa" of Montevideo, Uruguay has created a special exhibit of Crystals and Crystal structures using its own minerals collection to celebrate the International Year of Crystallography 2014. The exposition contains some figures with the atomic structures of the selected minerals.

The exhibition and lectures "World of Crystals" (original title Svět krystalů) aim at showing the amazing shapes of the crystals from the whole world and from the Železné hory (Iron Mountains) National Geopark in particular.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on 6 May at 6.30 pm in the exhibition hall of the Vodní zdroje Chrudim s r.o.

Opening times: Monday to Friday, 8.00 to 4.00 pm.

Download the poster of the exhibition

The exhibition “In the unusual world of crystals” shows the beauty of crystals, the history of their investigations and their various applications. 

The exhibition was organized to celebrate the International Year of Crystallography IYCr2014 and the 650th Jubilee of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. 

Sites of Exhibition:

• Faculty of Chemistry JU,  14 May -14 June 2014
• Jagiellonian University Professors Garden, Krakow, 14-18 May 2014
• Main Jagiellonian Library , Krakow, 18 June – 18 July 2014
• Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research PAS, Wroclaw, 26-28 June 2014

and is scheduled to be displayed in many other places (Krakow, Wroclaw, Czestochowa, Poznan, Opole, Warsaw) in the second half of 2014.

A photo gallery is available at http://www2.chemia.uj.edu.pl/krysztaly_wystawa/?page_id=77

More about the exhibition (in Polish): http://www2.chemia.uj.edu.pl/krysztaly_wystawa/

Diseases, from bacterial and viral infections to cancer to chronic maladies, are still among the greatest problems for mankind, in spite of tremendous progress in genetics, biology, and chemistry. Approaches to developing new treatments have changed over time, and so have the methodologies used, in order to solve the varied, new, challenging problems that may happen on the path to drug discovery. Together with ever-evolving experimental techniques, a variety of computational approaches have been applied at the various stages of the drug design process, and in the past two decades structure-based drug design has become one of the mainstream approaches. This method can be used to target protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions and nowadays is applicable to all aspects of drug discovery, including lead identification, lead optimization, ADMET prediction, and drug repurposing. The purpose of the course is dual:

1) It will provide a review of the fundamentals and the application of crystallography to drug design, and an evaluation of the technology at the present state.

2) It will review the progress in this field and summarize the application and results to current fields of interest.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on Wednesday, 21 May at 6 pm at the regional library of Lower Austria in St. Poelten.

Click on the image to download the invitation to the exhibition.

Following the great success obtained in Reggio Emilia, the exhibition “L’ENIGMA ESCHER- PARADOSSI GRAFICI TRA ARTE E GEOMETRIA”, a major retrospective exhibition of the work of Maurits Cornelis Escher, will be on display at "Il Filatoio di Caraglio" (Cuneo, Italy) from 29 March to 29 June 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 is included in the events for IYCr2014 celebrations in Italy. 

Read the press release on the Reggio Emilia exhibition mentioning the connection with IYCr2014 (in Italian)

Venue: Planetario de Pamplona

21 May, 7.30 pm: Los Minerales en La Tierra. Esther Lasheras, Universidad de Navarra

28 May, 7.30 pm: Photo 5: la imagen de ADN más famosa de la historia. Javier Novo, Universidad de Navarra

4 June, 7.30 pm: Las caras del cristal. Una aproximación multidisciplinar a la historia de la cristalografía. César Tomé, Universidad del País Vasco

18 June, 7.30 pm: Kriptonita, estalagmitas y otros cristales peculiars. Jose Ramón Isasi Allica, Universidad de Navarra

25 June, 7.30 pm: Neutrones en la vida cotidiana. Javier Campo, CSIC Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón

The exhibition will open on May 9th with a speech by Sven Lidin, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Lund University and Chairman of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.

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

Con motivo de este año tan especial, se ha organizado la exposición titulada "Los minerales: Año Internacional de la Cristalografía".

La exposición trata de ofrecer un recorrido por las características principales de los minerales, los cristales inorgánicos naturales. Estas características van desde cuales son las posibles formas de la celda unidad (sistemas cristalinos) hasta las principales propiedades físicas que presentan como consecuencia de su composición y su estructura, y que, con frecuencia, nos permiten identificarlos.

Every year, the third week of May, Uruguay celebrates the Science and Technology week. In 2014 the week will be motivated by the International Year of Crystallography 2014 and will have the motto "it all depends on the crystal you look through".

Researchers and graduate students will be offering talks focusing on the impact of Crystallography in our lives. The opening ceremony of the week will include a Dissemination Lecture on Crystallography. Lectures, about 1h long, will be offered to Primary and Secondary schools (both public and private), Teaching institutions in general and Social institutions from all the country. An estimate of 50 lectures on different aspects of crystallography will be given from May 19 to June 30 where the activities of the Sci & Tech week officially end.

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Cada año, durante la tercera semana de mayo, Uruguay celebra la Semana de la Ciencia y la Tecnología. Este año las actividades están motivadas por el Año Internacional de la Cristalografía 2014 y tendrá como llamador la frase "todo depende del cristal con que se mire".

Tanto investigadores como estudiantes de postgrado darán charlas enfocándose en el impacto de la Cristalografía en nuestras vidas. El evento de apertura de la semana estará basado en una charla de divugación de Cristalografía y las charlas, de 1 hora aproximada de duración serán ofrecidas a Escuelas Primarias y Secundarias (públicas y privadas), instituciones de enseñanza en general e instituciones sociales de todo el país. Se estima que unas 50 charlas serán dictadas sobre distintos aspectos de la cristalografía desde el 19 de mayo al 30 de junio cuando concluyen oficialmente las actividades de la Semana de la Ciencia y la Tecnología.

This MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) explains the basic building blocks of crystals, their symmetrical structure and introduces free software for crystal structure exploring. To be enrolled to this online course, visit the web site and click on the green button "Enrol with email".

The course is organized in chapters, every week a new chapter will be launched starting on April 18th.

Frank Hoffmann and his team from the University of Hamburg invite you to be part of the crystal admiring community.

The gazebo "Let's Play with Crystals" offers an interactive laboratory to describe the fascinating symmetry and beauty of crystals with the help of models and microscopes. 

Organizers: FMS Fondazione Musei Senesi, SIMUS Sistema Museale Universitario Senese, MST Museo Scienze della Terra

Moderator: Giancarlo Pagani (curator Museo di Scienze della Terra, Università di Siena)

Venue: Orto Botanico, Università di Siena, via Mattioli 4, Siena (Italy), 1 June 2014, 11 am - 6 pm

Target: schoolchildren and beyond

Conference devoted to the development and application of electron and probe microscopy in solid state physics, materials science, chemistry, geology, biology, medicine, nanotechnology and and industry. The program of the Conference includes original talks, poster communications, round tables and informal discussions of present-day achievements in scanning electron microscopy.

Topics

El Departamento de Química de la Universidad de Oriente, Cuba organiza el Taller Nacional Alvaro Reynoso para que los Estudiantes de Química, Farmacia, Biología y Física de Cuba presenten sus mejores trabajos de investigación realizados entre 2012 y 2014.

El Taller es competitivo y esta enmarcado en las celebraciones del Ano Internacional de la Cristalografía.

Lugar: Salón Azul, Universidad de Oriente.

Programa:

5 Junio

09:00  Inauguración del Taller. Conferencia inaugural.

10:00 Presentación de trabajos en Comisiones

12:00  Almuerzo

13:30  Presentación de trabajos en Comisiones

6 de Junio

08:30 Conferencia: Impacto de la Cristalografía en las Ciencias. Prof. Oscar Au-Alvarez (U. Oriente)

10:00 Premiación y clausura del Taller

Premiazione Provinciale Giochi della Chimica 2014 (Award of chemistry games, Alessandria) 

Chemistry games are a competition for secondary school students. Students attend chemistry lectures, then a test is done, at local, then regional, national and world level. Winners are awarded during a closing ceremony of the province-level competition in Alessandria. During the ceremony some talks are given to celebrate the event.
A talk entitled "We wanted to see the atoms: 100 years of crystallography" will be delivered by Marco Milanesio, Università del Piemonte Orientale.

On the occasion of the International Year of Crystallography (IYCr2014), the Italian Micromineralogical Association (AMI), 
with the sponsorship of the Italian Society of Mineralogy and Petrology (SIMP), the Italian Crystallographic Association (AIC), the National Group of Mineralogy (GNM) and the City of Tavagnasco,
in cooperation with the Department of Earth Sciences and the CrisDi - Interdepartmental Centre for the Development of X-ray Diffraction Crystallography of the University of Turin,
organizes two study days and a day of presentations and mineral exchanges in Tavagnasco (between the mountains at the border of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta] for days 6 to 8 June 2014.

6-7 June: guided tour to the mine galleries

Seminar A: Italian regional mineralogy: rarity, novelty, peculiarity
Seminar B: Mineralogical Crystallography in Piedmont

8 June: Exchange of minerals

The Yale University Department of Chemistry, in conjunction with Rigaku Americas Corporation, is pleased to announce the 4th Yale Rigaku Symposium on X-ray Diffraction, to take place on Friday, June 6, 2014, in Sterling Chemistry Laboratory on the campus of Yale University.

Speakers will include:

Prof. Bart Kahr - Department of Chemistry, New York University 
Prof. Colin Nuckolls - Department of Chemistry, Columbia University 
Prof. Patrick Holland - Department of Chemistry, Yale University 
Dr. Michael Murray - Rigaku Americas Corporation 
Aya Takase - Rigaku Americas Corporation 
Louise Guard - Department of Chemistry, Yale University

Please join us for a day of stimulating talks, workshops, and networking. This event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Workshop attendees will enjoy breakfast and lunch, and an evening reception is open to all.

We hope to see you there!

--Brandon Mercado and the 2014 Yale Rigaku Organizing Committee

The event is free to attend to the general public and is taking place in the Explore Zone in Cheltenham's Imperial Gardens.

Since 1948 a group of distinguished scientists from all over the world and from a wide range of fields gathered at the International Symposium on the Reactivity of Solids to discuss recent results and future experimental developments in the fields of the reactivity of solids. A characteristic feature of this symposium is that it is not a function of a particular society but is arranged by a local organizing committee, with input from many past attendees, and lives on the enthusiasm and on the scientific curiosity of a world-wide community. The flavor is distinctly international and decidedly interdisciplinary.
A special focus will be devoted to reactivity of materials for energy and environment.

Chronology

The workshop will focus on the latest advances of the crystallographic methods for solving structures by both powder (Module 1) and single crystal (Module 2) diffraction data.

In particular, it will be devoted to the use of the latest versions of EXPO and SIR, two packages widely used by the international scientific community. The workshop will include theoretical and practical sessions. Participants will have the opportunity to personally use EXPO and/or SIR under the supervision of the authors.

EXPO is able to solve crystal structures by powder diffraction data using reciprocal as well as direct space methods. It is able to carry out the full pathway of the solution process, from indexing to Rietveld refinement. With respect to the previous version, it has been enriched with new powerful computing tools: e.g. the covariance principle based completion method (COVMAP) for structure model optimization; the RAndom Model based Method (RAMM) and the Hybrid Big Bang-Big Crunch approach for structure solution in reciprocal and direct space, respectively. The graphical interface has been improved making the program very user friendly.

SIR can solve ab initio crystal structures of small- and medium-size molecules, as well as protein structures, using X-ray or electron single crystal diffraction data. Several new abilities have been implemented: e.g. a new phasing method (VLD), simulated annealing techniques to exploit prior knowledge of the molecular geometry, molecular replacement methods for solving proteins, including a pipeline useful to automatically refine and complete the structure. The graphical interface has been further improved and allows the straightforward use of the program even in difficult cases.

One hundred years ago, a series of brilliant experiments and ingenious ideas paved the way to the opportunity of visualizing three-dimensional molecular architectures from the analysis of the crystalline state. The era of modern crystallography was begun. Nowadays, crystallography is a mature discipline and it allows a deep understanding of atoms and molecules in solids. Biologists, chemists and physicists regularly employ crystallographic tools to visualize the structure of proteins, to develop novel materials and drugs and to figure out how several properties of the matter we observe in our everyday life ultimately depend on how atoms and molecules recognize and organize themselves at the nanoscale.

As part of the lecture series to celebrate the International Year of Crystallography at FCT-NOVA, on June 11, Dr Giuseppina Padeletti (Institute of Nanostructured Materials of CNR, Italy) will give a talk entitled "Significant findings on the Italian lustred majolica at Renaissance".

Here's a summary of her lecture: The characterization and the study of lustre-decorated majolicas is of great interest for archaeologists, but also offers possibilities for producing pottery with outstanding decoration today, following ancient examples, since nowadays Italian artisans are interested in the reproduction of the ancient recipes and procedures. The results of several studies carried out on ancient lustre layers using numerous different analytical techniques such as XRD, SEM–EDX, TEM–EDX–SAED, ETAAS, ICP–OES, UV–vis reflectance spectroscopy and SAXS will be presented. Lustre films were shown to be formed by copper and silver clusters of nanometric dimension. The color and the properties of the lustre films depend on the elemental composition of the impasto applied to the ceramic surface as well as on other factors like the metallic nanocluster dimension, the firing conditions, the underlying glaze composition and the procedure. Furthermore, by means of XRD was possible to discover markers, useful in the attribution of works of art to different civilizations.

Read the short biographies of all speakers of the FCT-NOVA lecture series at http://xtal.dq.fct.unl.pt/iycr2014/Speakers.html

The Australian satellite of the IYCr2014 photo competition Crystallography in Everyday Life saw Crystal 29 conference delegates select their favorite images from more than 130 entries submitted world-wide.

The 15 stunning images celebrate the wonder of crystallography, symmetry and crystals as symbolized in the places, objects and experiences of everyday life and will now form part of the traveling exhibition around Australia.

Graziano Lolli from Italy won the first prize in this category with a photo of "romanesco broccoli".

The Society of Fiber Science and Technology of Japan celebrated its 70th anniversary in December 2013 and is organizing a series of commemorative events.

A special session will be dedicated to the International Year of Crystallography during the Society Annual Meeting at the Tower Hall Funabori on 12 June 2014. 

The programme of the session is available in PDF format at http://www.fiber.or.jp/jpn/events/2014/year/IYCr2014.pdf (in Japanese).

As part of the initiatives related to the "Enigma Escher" exhibition (Caraglio, 29 March to 29 June 2014), Dr Marco Milanesio will held a lecture entitled "La simmetria, i cristalli, le strutture, Escher, le opere, le mirabili molecole io canto”.

The title is inspired to the first verses of “Orlando Furioso” by Ludovico Ariosto, where the author celebrates the contrasts and complementarities between, on one hand, “weapons” and “love” and, on the other hand, “Women” and” Chevarlies”. Similarly, or better symmetrically, the lecture will try to highlight the contrasts and complementarities between, on one hand, art and science and scientific research and everyday life, and, on the other hand, between crystallography and Escher masterpieces. The original “Le donne, i cavallier, l’arme, gli amori, le cortesie, l’audaci imprese io canto”  thus becomes “"La simmetria, i cristalli, le strutture, Escher, le opere, le mirabili molecole io canto”. Attempting an English translation: “I celebrate women, knights, arms, loves, courtesies, the audacious facts” thus becomes “I celebrate the symmetry, the crystals, the structures, Escher, his works, the wondrous molecules”.

II ŁUKOWSKI

FESTIWAL NAUKI I SZTUKI

pod patronatem naukowym

Dziekana Wydziału Biologii i Nauk o Środowisku,

Uniwersytetu Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie

oraz

Dyrektora Instytutu Biologii Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczo-Humanistycznego w Siedlcach

pod honorowym patronatem

Starosty Powiatu Łukowskiego

oraz Burmistrza Miasta Łuków

tytułem:

Nauka jak kryształ !

(sala widowiskowa I LO w Łukowie, wejście od ul. Cieszkowizna):

11.00-11.30 Uroczyste otwarcie festiwalu. Przemówienia okolicznościowe.

11.30-12.00 prof. dr hab. Kinga Suwińska IChF PAN i WBNŚ UKSW w Warszawie

– Czy można zobaczyć cząsteczkę fizyczną?   

12.00-12.30 prof. dr hab. Kinga Suwińska IChF PAN i WBNŚ UKSW w Warszawie

– Profesor Czochralski i jego metoda otrzymywania kryształów?

12.30-13.00 prof. UKSW dr hab. Maciej Stasiak WBNŚ UKSW w Warszawie

– Narkotyki.

13.00-13.30 dr Joanna Grzelak WBNŚ UKSW w Warszawie –Metody określania płci
 i wieku człowieka na podstawie szkieletu.

Przerwa – wokalno-artystyczna. Uczniowie pod opieką mgr Anny Pudełek ZSP w Łukowie.

13.40-14.10 dr Marek Siłuszyk UPH w Siedlcach – Od algebry Boole’a do facebooka.

14.10-14.40 dr Zbigniew Kasprzykowski UPH w Siedlcach – Euforia biegacza, czyli ewolucyjna nagroda w biegach długodystansowych.

14.40-15.10 dr Izabela Hajdamowicz UPH w Siedlcach – Natura pajęczej przędzy.

15.10-15.40 mgr Ireneusz Kaługa Grupa Ekologiczna – Jak chronimy bociany?

15.40-16.10 mgr Małgorzata Zielonka i mgr Agnieszka Rybka I LO im. T. Kościuszki

– Ciekawe kryształy i ich zastosowania.

16.10-16.40 mgr Zofia Nowak i mgr Alicja Burdach I LO im. T. Kościuszki

– Kryształy w układach żywych.

16.40-17.10 mgr Michał Świder ZS nr 3 im. Wł. Reymonta – Czynnik Si – podstwa rozwoju współczesnej cywilizacji.

Wystawy (Hol główny w I LO w Łukowie):  

11.00-16.00 Grupa Twórcza przyJACIEle – Mulitmedialna prezentacja zdjęć
– pt. „Rezerwat Jata – nieznany ląd”
Warsztaty w Gimanzjum nr 2 w Łukowie ul. Cieszkowizna 13

11.00-12.30 Prezentacje fizyczne i chemiczne dla szkół podstawowych
 i gimnazjalnych pt. “Kryształy w fizyce i chemii”: mgr Agnieszka Bilska, mgr Katarzyna Mrozowska; uczniowie: A. Zdanowska, K. Sergiel, J. Ciećko, M. Kruczek, M. Kryczka, A. Sokół, K. Nowicka. 1 gr.x15 osób. Zapisy tel. 25 798 27 65. Sala nr 6.

12.00-13.30 Warsztaty chemiczne dla szkół podstawowych i gimnazjalnych  “Kryształy i nie tylko....” - koło chemików Gimanzjum nr 2 w Łukowie: mgr Urszula Wojtalska, uczniowie: K. Orzeł, M.Sobczyk, K. Gołębiowska, S. Załęska, K. Fronc,
A. Popławska, D. Brewczyńska. 1 gr. x 20 osób. Zapisy tel. 25 798 27 65. Sala nr 7.

15 czerwca 2014 (niedziela)

17.00 - przedstawienie teatralne “Kopciuszek” w sali widowiskowej ŁOK,

grupa teatralna pod kierunkiem mgr Anny Dorosz, 

The ISSRNS is a series of biennial conference meetings organized in Poland since 1992. It has traditionally been devoted to recent advances and new techniques employing synchrotron radiation (SR) in physics, chemistry, materials science, crystallography, biology and medicine as well as in the fields of archeometry, environmental protection, geology, quality control, etc. The aim of this interdisciplinary meeting is also to bring together scientists working with synchrotron radiation and those who would like to learn more about the sources and specific experimental techniques.
The ISSRNS has a format of advanced workshop covering recent developments of synchrotrons and short-wavelength free electron lasers and providing a forum for reporting the most recent achievements in fundamental and applied research. Several introductory and tutorial lectures addressed to young researchers (M.Sc. and Ph.D. level), as well as to new potential users of the synchrotron radiation are foreseen.

ISSRNS 2014, the International Year of Crystallography and other events 

The year 2014 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Crystallography. This fact will be honored at the ISSRNS 2014 by a special session devoted to the recent milestone advances in the discipline, whose progress is strictly related to the development of modern SR sources - synchrotrons and short-wavelength FELs.
In Poland, the first national synchrotron SOLARIS in Krakow is under construction, to be operational in late 2014. A concept of POLFEL, the Polish free electron laser proposed to be constructed at National Center for Nuclear Research in Otwock/Świerk also reaches its maturity. These facts will pronouncedly extend the program of the incoming meeting beyond its traditional topics to promote integration of the SR community of users, designers and constructors of the advanced synchrotron sources. 

THE TOPICS OF THE ISSRNS 2014 INCLUDE:

• X-ray diffraction: methods and applications,
  Macromolecular crystallography,
  Structure solution in nano- and micro-scales
  Elastic scattering of X-rays,
  Synchrotron radiation in nanoscience,
  Imaging, holography, spectroscopic mapping,
  X-ray absorption, fluorescence and photoelectron spectroscopies,
  X-ray magnetic dichroism,
  Synchrotron radiation at long wavelengths (THz, IR and VUV),
  Synchrotron radiation in life sciences and medicine,
  Novel applications of Free Electron Lasers,
  Synchrotron and alternative radiation sources – new developments and instrumentation,
  Advanced optics, irradiation damage and metrology of intense beams,

• Mechanism of Nucleation and Crystal Growth
• Crystallization at Extreme Conditions and in External Fields
• In-situ Monitoring and Control of Nucleation and Crystal Growth Process
• Technologies for Purification, Waste Treatment and Recovery
• Crystallizer
• Modeling of Crystallization Process
• Crystallization Process Design, Simulation and Control
• Stabilization of Amorphous
• Epitaxial Growth
• Polymorphism
• Phase Transitions
• Crystal Structure
• Intermolecular Interactions
• Chirality and Resolution
• Cocrystal
• Growth of Biological Materials and Biologically-Directed Growth
• Biomineralization
• Nanostructures and Nanoporous Crystals
• Liquid Crystals
• Novel Materials and Structure

The Session is addressed to MSc and PhD students of chemistry of academic and research institutions from Lodz who are engaged in all branches of chemistry. One of the aims of this session is to familiarize the participants with modern methods of crystallography as applied to structural studies of chemical compounds and their complexes.

The session to be held at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Lodz, Tamka 12, 91-403 Lodz, Poland

Eine neue Kluft im Steinbruch Eibenstein lieferte beachtliche Kalzitkristalle, z.T. Phantombildungen und Kalzite in Chalcedon.

Aus Motlas O.Ö. wurden herrliche Quarz-Stufen, Andalusit, Beryll, Schörl und Orthoklas angekauft.

In der Mittelvitrine werden aus der Studiensammlung des Museum besondere Stufen ausgestellt: Einzel-Quarzkristalle und Stufen (auch Amethyst), sowie seltene Mineralien wie Amstallit, bzw. aus dem Fundort Kottaun; ferner Beryll, Chalcedon, Schörl u.a.

Ebenso wurde der größte Feldspatkristall Österreichs aus Wanzenau bei Rosenburg dem Krahuletz-Museum übergeben und ist dort im Rahmen der Mineralien-Dauerausstellung zu sehen.

The 23rd consecutive meeting is organized jointly by the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana and the Croatian Crystallographic Association under the auspices of University of Ljubljana and promoted by the Slovenian Chemical Society.

The official language of the meeting is English. There is no registration fee.

The meeting will celebrate 2014, The International Year of Crystallography. 

Lecture (open to the general public, in German) designed to extend the public understanding of biological macromolecular crystallography in the context of the International Year of Crystallography at the Saarbrücken Public Library, Gustav-Regler-Platz 1, 66111 Saarbrücken

The 1^st FEBS-INSTRUCT practical crystallization course in the middle EU is in fact the 6^th run of the FEBS practical course named "Advanced methods in macromolecular crystallization VI“ that will take place at the Academy and University Center at Nove Hrady (Czech Republic) from June 20^th to June 27^th, 2014. The course is intended for undergraduate (5th year) and postgraduate students and postdocs with an interest in macromolecular crystallization.

The planned course is quite different from the established courses in protein crystallization. The course is designed to bring over the message of the benefits of more rational approaches to macromolecular crystallization and is aimed at a healthy mixture of advanced discussions of the theory and laboratory experiments. To achieve this goal, we have invited a number of prominent experts in the field as teachers and tutors.

 Proposed deadline for applications: March 31, 2014

 For more information about the course, please have a look at the website http://febs.img.cas.cz or contact organizers.

 Ivana Kuta Smatanova, e-mail: ivanaks@seznam.cz

Pavlina Rezacova, e-mail: rezacova@img.cas.cz

Juan Manuel Garcia-Ruiz, e-mail: jmgruiz@ugr.es

Regional meeting of macromolecular crystallographer groups in the pacific northwest with emphasis on providing graduate students and postdocs opportunities to present their work. 

This biennial meeting has been held at differing locations in the Pacific Northwest since 1981. It has always proven to be a great venue to meet other researchers in the region who are interested in both the utilization of macromolecular crystallography and the development of new methods.

We are very pleased that the distinguished Brian Matthews from the University of Oregon will give the Saturday evening keynote. The title of his talk is: "From Bragg's Hometown to the MRC Cambridge and Beyond:  Experiencing the Progress of Crystallography."

Topics 

• Enzyme mechanism
• Drug discovery
• Complex formation
• Crystal growth
• Structure solution
• Model validation
• Structure/function relationship
• Structure prediction
• X-ray and cryo-EM complementarity
• Protein/nucleic acid interaction

Associated with this workshop there will also be a day for Lipid Cubic Phase Crystallisation Satellite (LCP). Registration as part of the main event or separately is possible (see details in programme and registration).

Organising committee:

Daniel Eriksson- Australian Synchrotron
David Aragão - Australian Synchrotron
Jade Forwood - Charles Sturt University
Mihwa Lee - La Trobe University
Sofia Caria - La Trobe University
Stephanie Gras - Monash University

The opening is scheduled on June 23rd, with the presence of Professor Robert Huber, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. The results of the Photo Contest will be announced.

The GE3C XXIV Symposium will take place in Bilbao in June 2014, from the 23th to 26th. The Congress will be held at the Bizkaia Aretoa building: the auditorium of the University of the Basque Country (UPV / EHU) in the city of Bilbao. This building, designed by architect Alvaro Siza, is located in one of the most emblematic areas of Bilbao, over the sea loch and next to the Guggenheim Museum, just in the middle of Abandoibarra Avenue.

This is a very special year for Crystallography since on July 3th, 2012 the General Assembly of the United Nations (resolution 66/2849) decided to proclaim 2014 as The International Year of Crystallography. The proclamation points out that education in crystallography and its applications is critical to address challenges such as health and environmental problems, since crystallographers determine the structure of proteins and small molecules used in the design of essential drugs also proposing solutions to the pollution of soil and plants.

We wish to make the most of our Basque spirit, land and people together for junction and interchange, to facilitate the exchange of ideas, diffusion of our groups´ latest scientific findings, the establishment or strengthening of partnerships and the promotion of young researchers working in fields related to Crystallography.

Topics: biomaterials, crystal growth, crystallography, materials for energy, porous materials, organometallic compounds (MOFs), nanomaterials, ...

In a joint effort of the Colombian and Venezuelan Societies of Crystallography, two courses on X Ray Diffraction Techniques are being organized: a course on X ray Powder Diffraction which will take place in Mérida, Venezuela, from June 23 to 27 of 2014, and a course on Single Crystal X Ray Diffraction which will take place in Bucaramanga, Colombia, in September. The participation is open to undergraduate and graduate students and young scientists from academic institutions, as well as professionals from the industrial sector. Students, young researchers, and professionals from other Latin-American countries are most welcome.

The Course on Powder Diffraction integrates the basic principles, common practices, and applications of X ray diffraction techniques for the analysis of polycrystalline samples. Particular attention will be paid at obtaining good experimental data for their appropriate use in different applications.

Three fundamental aspects constitute the core of the powder diffraction course: (1) use of X ray diffraction techniques for qualitative and quantitative analysis of polycrystalline materials; (2) use of the program GSAS-II (Structure refinement using the Rietveld Method); (3) Microstructure characterization (Use of the program PM2K2). These topics will be presented in the context of conventional X ray diffractometers and of synchrotron radiation.

The Invited Speakers are: Dr. Robert Von Dreele (Argonne National Laboratory, USA), Prof. James A. Kaduk (Illinois Institute of Technology, USA), Prof. Matteo Leoni (Universita degli Studi di Trento, Italy), and Prof. José Antonio Henao (Universidad Industrial de Santander, Colombia). Professors Asiloé J. Mora, Graciela Díaz de Delgado, Belkis Ramírez, Gerzon Delgado, and Miguel Delgado (ULA, Venezuela) and Dr. Alexander Briceño (IVIC, Venezuela) will also be instructors.

This event is being supported by Universidad de Los Andes (Venezuela), FONACIT (Venezuelan Science Funding Office) and the International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD).

Click here to download the poster of the event 

As part of the celebrations for IYCr2014 at the FCT-NOVA, Professor Robert Huber, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, will give a lecture on "Beauty and Fitness for Purpose: the architecture of proteins, the building blocks of life"

Abstract
Atomic views of protein structures are determined with increasing pace in the last twenty years by a rapid development of methods and instrumentation of protein crystallography, electron microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance, allowing the determination of very large and complex protein structures. These structures document the beauty and unlimited versatility of the proteins ́ architecture, but reveal also unexpected relationships, allowing views on biological evolution far back in time. The structures are a basis for understanding the proteins’ binding specificities and catalytic properties (chemistry), their spectral and electron transfer properties (physics), and their roles in physiological systems (biology and medicine). They allow design and development of specific ligands of target proteins opening novel strategies for therapeutic intervention and development of new medicaments and for plant protection.The basis of the studies described and of molecular biology in general is X–ray diffraction of crystals, discovered by Laue in 1912 in München. We celebrated the Laue Centennial in the year 2012 and commemorate the International Year of Crystallography in 2014. With a few slides I shall discuss history and development of Laue’s discovery, which revolutionized many fields of science.

http://xtal.dq.fct.unl.pt/iycr2014/Speakers.html

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1988/huber-bio.html

The Academy of Sciences of Turin has always counted distinguished members which have studied the crystalline solid state, including the Nobel-laureates: W.H. Bragg, M. von Laue, G. Natta and (living) Harold Kroto. Several other members have been or are active in research using crystallographic methods. Among the 'historical' members are mentioned here: Amedeo Avogadro, Quintino Sella, Giorgio Spezia, Ferruccio Zambonini and Martin Buerger.

The Academy organizes for 2014 a one-day interdisciplinary conference - celebratory of IYCr2014 - involving speakers operating in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science and Earth Sciences, as well as more applied areas such as Cultural Heritage and Environment. The CrisDi Interdepartmental Center for Crystallography of the University of Turin sponsors the organization of the conference.

Programme

9.00
Greetings from the authorities
Introduced by Giovanni Ferraris (University of Turin, Academy of Sciences of Turin) /Crystallographers at the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino/.

Chaired by Gianfranco Gilardi (University of Turin, Academy of Sciences of Turin)

Robert Huber (Nobel laureate, Max Planck - Institut fuer Biochemie) -/Beauty and Fitness for Purpose: the Architecture of the Proteins Building Blocks of Life/.

Alessia Bacchi ( University of Parma) -/Crystallography, Chemistry and Drugs: a New World at the Nanoscale/.

Opening of the documentary  exhibition "Crystallographers at the Academy of Sciences"

11:30
Chaired by Roberta Oberti (CNR-IGG Pavia, Academy of Sciences of Turin)

Gianfranco Gilardi (University of Turin, Academy of Sciences of Turin) -/Structural Basis of Cytochrome P450 Function in Cell Defense and Sexual Development/.

Piero Ugliengo (University of Turin) -/Quantum Mechanical Modeling as a Virtual Microscope to Understand Biomaterials/.

Discussion

14:30
Chaired by Adriano Zecchina (University of Turin, Academy of Sciences of Turin)

Livio Battezzati (University of Turin, Academy of Sciences of Turin) -/Topology and Chemistry in the Frustrated Symmetry of Quasicrystals/.

Carlo Lamberti (University of Turin) -/Combining Crystallographic and Spectroscopic Approaches to Understand Complex Materials/.

Marco Truccato (University of Turin) -/The Combined Use of X-rays and Electrical Measurements to Explore (and Modify) Superconducting Oxide/.

16.30
Chaired by Giovanni Ferraris (University of Turin, Academy of Sciences of Turin)

Mauro Prencipe (University of Turin) -/Unraveling the Secrets of the Inner Earth by Means of a Computer: Mechanisms of Compressibility and Thermal Expansion of Crystals from a Theoretical Point of View/.

Fernando Cámara (University of Turin) -/Probing the Crystal Structure of Minerals far from Room Conditions: the Contribution of X-ray Diffraction in the Lab/.

Roberta Oberti (CNR-IGG Pavia, Academy of Sciences of Turin) -/Crystallography and Crystal-Chemistry for a Deeper Understanding of Geological Processes/.

Discussion and conclusions.

Abstracts of the lectures are available at the symposium web site. 

Please join us for a three-day Chemical Crystallography workshop at the University of Montana, June 26 – 28, 2014. The workshop is intended for chemistry graduate students and novice crystallographers (including postdocs and faculty) who wish to increase their knowledge of X-ray crystallography and their proficiency in handling data and solving crystal structures.

We have scheduled this workshop in conjunction with the commissioning of a new NSF-funded Chemical Crystallography facility to support research activities in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the School of Pharmacy at the University of Montana. This facility features a state-of-the-art Bruker D8 Venture instrument with both Cu and Mo X-ray sources, a large PHOTON 100 CMOS detector and an Oxford CryoStream low-temperature attachment.

As part of the celebrations for the International Year of Crystallography at SPring-8, Prof Claude Lecomte from CRM2, CNRS-Université de Lorraine and Vice-President of the IUCr, will give a lecture at the SPring-8 Kamitsubo Hall titled "First spin resolved density maps: a joint X-ray neutron and polarized neutron refinement".

Abstract: Prof. Claude Lecomte will give a talk about the first experimental determination of spin-resolved electron density obtained by a combined treatment of X-ray, neutron and polarized neutron diffraction data. Topological analysis of the resulting experimental spin-resolved electron density is also briefly discussed.

Organizer: Akihiko Fujiwara (fujiwara@spring8.or.jp)

Watch live online: riaus.org.au/livestreaming

Attend in person: The Science Exchange, Exchange Place, Adelaide

Free registration required: riaus.org.au/events/pdplus-crystallography/

2014 is the UN International Year of Crystallography, celebrating 100 years since X-ray diffraction allowed scientists to study the detailed structure of crystalline materials. Now crystallography is used in almost all scientific disciplines, from geologists analysing and dating meteorites to chemists synthesising new drugs to fight diseases.

This online session will outline the scientific principles behind crystallography, how it is being used currently, and the problems it could help to solve in the future. Potential career paths and in-class activities will also be discussed.

For more information visit riaus.org.au/events/pdplus-crystallography/ or email Tania Meyer, Education Coordinator at RiAus (tmeyer@riaus.org.au).

Presented by RiAus, in partnership with UniSA.

RiAus is a registered education provider. Teachers can receive a certificate of attendance that contributes towards their professional learning requirements.

Crystallography is embodied as a special event of the Night of Science 2014 at the Goethe University.

The following activities will be held: lectures about symmetry in general and crystallography; a booth with art, models, videos, plays etc. around crystals and crystal structures; tours through the X-ray (powder) diffraction laboratory.

Mocos y Cristales
5th Open Day: 'Shaping the Knowledge'

As every year on the last Sunday in June (this year June 29th), the Institute of Metallurgy of the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí, Mexico held the 5th edition of its Open House Day: an event that brings together researchers and students eager to show to the public - children and adults - that science can be fun and that they can get involved with it at any age.

On this occasion, commemorating the International Year of Crystallography, students of the Master of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering course, coordinated by Dr Jorge García Rocha, held a workshop entitled "Boogers and Crystals". This was directed at children aged 5 and older, where they learned the characteristics of crystals, and the difference between a crystalline solid and an amorphous solid. In order to do that, four "hands-on" experiments were designed.

Introduction

The introduction to the subject took the form of several activities designed to explain crystal atomic structures. The children were involved in role playing as atoms and were instructed by Professor Cristalonio to form a row; from this, it was explained how crystals have periodic lattice structures. Then they were told to start moving around, to explain how amorphous solids have a disordered lattice structure. Professor Cristalonio helped the children to gain a better understanding of crystal structures and the differences between them and amorphous solids by using colloquial  language.

Activity 1

Amorphous solids were explained with two different experiments, namely fake glass and "boogers" (dried nasal mucus). The fake glass, made of sugar, was shown to the children and they were allowed to break it. The boogers experiment was used to explain the structure of polymers, and for this purpose the children were allowed to play with colored slime.

Activity 2

The nature of crystalline solids was explained using two experiments, namely the geode egg and instant ice. Geode eggs were made previously using alum crystals and eggshells. Then it was explained how crystals grow, with details of their growth structure. Crystalline solids grow by the repetition in space of an elementary structure called a unit cell; depending on the lattice parameters, i.e. the length of the sides or the axes of the unit-cell angles, there are seven different crystal systems: cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, hexagonal, rhombohedral, monoclinic and triclinic.

The instant ice experiment was performed using a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate (NaC₂H₃O₂.3H₂O), and the children were shown how it crystallizes and looks like ice instantly. Also the concept of endothermic and exothermic reactions was explained. The first one absorbs energy and the second one releases energy. At the end of the experiment, the children were allowed to touch the instant ice and feel how hot it was, instead of the cold or room temperature that might have been expected.

After the experiments, the children were able to observe closely the crystals, some representations of the crystal structures and the results of the experiments. They were also asked some questions to win a prize and were left to play with the boogers (colored slime) at the end of the activities. We definitely were able to achieve our goal of attracting not only children and young people, but also their parents who showed great interest and learned to play as children!

Fake sugar glass	Crystalline structure models	Geode eggs
Instant Ice	"Professor Cristalonio"	The Mocos y Cristales work team: Ramiro Orta, Ricardo Barredas, Professor Cristalonio (Senuel Vázquez), Angélica Lara and Jorge García.