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.

The exhibition organized at the University of Parma in collaboration with IMEM-CNR wishes to celebrate the theoretical and applied aspects of crystallography. A special section of original artworks related to crystallography is organized in collaboration with the Archive of Modern Art of the University of Parma.

Sections:

• Crystals around us: all the faces of cheese, ham, sugar, icecream and medicines
• Crystals underground and from the space: minerals and meteorites
• Journey inside a crystal: from structure to properties
• Functional crystals
• The crystals in life
• The life of crystals
• Crystals and symmetry, Escher and beyond
• Crystals and modern arts
• A closer look to crystals: instruments and experiments
• Home made crystals: hands on section with experiments for kids