Crystallography matters ... more!

The 2014 Annual Meeting of Japan Association of Mineralogical Sciences (JAMS) will be held at Kumamoto University in Kumamoto, Japan.

This meeting consists of 10 sessions and one of them is a special session of the International Year of Crystallography 2014. Crystal structure, micro-texture, synthesis, crystal growth, phase transitions and physical properties of natural and synthetic minerals will be focused.

An ancient tradition links the study of crystallography to this city, which during the sixteenth century saw the Medici family attracting on the banks of the Arno river Nicolas Steno, who stated the first law of crystallography. In the same period the Medici started to collect some crystalline specimens, first nucleus of one of the most precious and ancient collections of natural crystals.

The program selected by the Scientific and Organizing committees is thought to support the participation and contacts between members of the two groups involved, enabling the exchange of ideas in scientific fields (such as crystal growth, methods and techniques for structure determination, molecular recognition, polymer and material science, molecular medicine and structural biology), different and sometimes seemingly distant, but all associated with crystallography.

Thus, a hundred years after the international awards for the fundamental importance of studing matter by means of crystals, we are confident that Florence, the cradle of Renaissance ideas, will be the venue in which scientists from different fields will innovate and find stimuli for growth and collaboration.

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. 

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 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 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".

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.

- Man, crystal, pearl and coral: myths and symbols

- King, Prince and Bishop: gems in majesty

- the science of gems

Many events will be organized around the exhibition: concerts, conferences, demonstrations, ...

More information at http://www.aicr2014.fr and http://www.musee-saint-antoine.fr

15th International Conference on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules

Focus on macromolecular crystallization for novel radiation sources such as free electron lasers and on complementary methods (e.g. CryoEM)

The follow-up event to the exhibition Tiles, Weaves and Origami: A Journey through Art and Crystallography.

http://www.iycr2014.org/events/exhibitions/tiles,-weaves-and-origami-a-journey-through-art-and-crystallography

As part of its celebration of Science Month in Philippine Schools, the High School Department of Visayan Nazarene Bible College brings you Journey Into the Crystal CEBU, the Philippine staging of the traveling exhibition Voyage dans le cristal.

http://www.iycr2014.org/home/ongoing/special-voyage/special/voyage-dans-le-cristal

Travel through time and discover the fascinating world of crystals!

The exhibition is open for public viewing at the Main Lobby of Visayan Nazarene Bible College, St. Mary's Drive, Apas, Cebu City.

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

Public Lecture Series at the Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Western Australia

August 25, 2014 - 6pm
What is X-ray crystallography and how did it transform our view of the world?
by Professor Stephen Curry, Imperial College

September 17, 2014 - 6pm
Molecules and Crystals
by Professor Mark Spackman, University of Western Australia

October 15, 2014 - 6pm
Crystallography in Biology
by Professor Alice Vrielink, University of Western Australia

Download the poster of the whole lecture series 

Download the flyer for the lecture of Prof Spackman