About the Union
The International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) is an International Scientific Union that strives to promote international cooperation in crystallography and to contribute to all aspects of crystallography, to promote international publication of crystallographic research, to facilitate standardization of methods, units, nomenclatures and symbols, and to form a focus for the relations of crystallography to other sciences. IUCr is a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU).
The U.S. National Committee for Crystallography (USNC/Cr) represents U.S. crystallographers in the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) through The National Academies’ National Research Council. The USNC/Cr promotes the advancement of the science of crystallography in the United States and throughout the world. Crystallography is a key tool for a variety of fields in biological and physical sciences. The USNC/Cr brings together crystallographers across these broad spectrums of fields and promotes the intellectual vigor and diversity of the crystallographic community through activities and issues in interdisciplinary research, research resources and facilities, education and travel support, Crystallographic databases, and publication standards and ethics.
By representing the broad U.S. crystallographic community, the USNC/Cr also serves a unique role in bringing together crystallographers with a wide range of perspectives. This role is increasingly important for maintaining a high level of professionalism in a community that spans several disciplines and professional societies and that needs communication and coordination internationally. The USNC/Cr will continue to seek to represent crystallographic leaders in the areas of biochemistry, structural biology, pharmaceuticals, materials research (including both amorphous materials and metals), surface studies, mineralogy, inorganic chemistry, powder diffraction, and crystal growth. Maintaining the vitality of crystallography is important to several university departments advancing science.
The Committee's primary functions are:
- To inform crystallographers in the United States concerning the activities of the IUCr.
- To advise the President of the National Academy of Sciences on matters pertaining to U.S. participation in the IUCr.
- To nominate to the National Research Council persons to represent the crystallographers in the United States as delegates to the General Assemblies of the IUCr and other meetings sponsored by the Union.
- To provide information and guidance for such delegates.
- To plan and sponsor scientific meetings in the United States in consonance with the objectives of the IUCr.
- To perform such other duties as are required of national committees of adhering countries under the statutes of the IUCr.
- To take any other action directed toward the benefit and advancement of the science of crystallography in the United States and throughout the world.
2011 IUCr Congress and General Assembly
XXII IUCr Congress and General Assembly, Madrid, August 22-30, 2011
The International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) was held in Madrid, Spain, August 22-30, 2011. The members of the U.S. delegation were: KATHERINE A. KANTARDJIEFF (Chair) from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CHRISTOPHER CAHILL from George Washington University, JOSEPH NG from University of Alabama, Huntsville, BRIAN H. TOBY from Argonne National Laboratory, and VICTOR G. YOUNG JR. from University Minnesota. Also, two alternates attended the General Assembly: Bernhard Rupp from Q.E.D. Life Sciences Discoveries, Inc., and Angus P. Wilkinson from Georgia Institute of Technology. (photo copied from www.iucr2011madrid.es/)
Travel Fellowships for U.S. Early Career Crystallographers to the XXII IUCr Congress
The U.S. National Committee for Crystallography provided travel awards to partially support fifteen U.S. early career crystallographers to the IUCr Congress in Madrid, Spain. The USNC/Cr organized a series of events for the travel awardees:
- On August 23rd, a Mentoring Dinner was held for the U.S. travel awardees and their respective mentors. Travel awardees selected a U.S. senior crystallographer prior the Congress. A one-on-one mentoring experience was fostered during and after the Congress.
- On August 24th, a U.S.-Spain Reception was held for 200 crystallographers from the U.S., Spain, and Latin-America. The USNC/Cr, in collaboration with the Spaniards, organized the reception to foster collaborations between crystallographers in these regions. Major professors and their respective graduate students were invited, as well as our mentors and mentees.
- A Young Observers experience was organized for our travel fellows. The U.S. travel awardees were the first early career cohort attending the General Assembly as observers. This science policy experience facilitated the development of a future generation of cyrstallography leaders.
- The Young Observers are now socially connected through LinkedIn.
Crystallography in the University Curricula
The USNC/IUCr, in collaboration with the American Crystallographic Association (ACA) authored the 2006 white paper Crystallography Education Policies for the Physical and Life Sciences: Sustaining the Science of Molecular Structure in the 21st Century. The policy document explores how crystallography fits into the undergraduate curriculum for different disciplines, and steps that can be taken to engage K-12 students in the field. Presentation posters related to this project were presented at several regional meetings at various scientific societies.
Background: In 2001 and 2003, the USNC/Cr Education Subcommittee conducted two surveys to determine the content and extent of coverage of crystallography in university curricula, as well as the views of the broader crystallographic community on the status of crystallography education and training in the United States, in both the physical and the life sciences. These surveys suggested that perhaps as a result of rapid technological advances in the field of modern crystallography, there appears to be a declining number of master practitioner crystallographers, as well as a lack of sufficient education and training in crystallography for individuals who wish to understand and/or use crystallography as a tool in their hypothesis-driven research. Recognizing the opportunity to communicate to the broader scientific community the research opportunities afforded by crystallography, as well as the value of crystallographic information, the education committees of the American Crystallographic Association (ACA) and USNC/Cr organized an education summit, which took place June 1-2, 2005 at the conclusion of the ACA national meeting in Orlando, FL. Individuals known for their experience and contributions in crystallography education and training participated in this summit.
Latin American Initiative
At the spring 2005 American Chemical Society national meeting in San Diego, current IUCr chair Katherine Kantardjieff addressed an audience on the committee’s Latin American Initiative. The goal of the Latin American Initiative is to promote crystallography in Latin American countries and is a joint effort of the USNC/IUCr and the American Crystallographic Association.
The committee's continued interest in Latin America led to a working dinner at the Twenty-First General Assembly and International Congress of Crystallography in Osaka, Japan convened by U.S. and Mexico delegation chairs Jim Kaduk (INEOS Technologies) and Lauro Bucio Galindo (IFUNAM). Read more about outcomes from the Osaka General Assembly.
- Katherine A. Kantardjieff, Chair
Argonne National Laboratory - Joseph Ng, Vice Chair
University of Alabama, Huntsville - Cora Lind, Secretary/Treasurer
University of Toledo - Gloria Borgstahl
University of Nebraska Medical Center - Christopher Cahill
George Washington University - Camille Y. Jones
Hamilton College - Brian Matthews
Institute of Molecular Biology - Claudia J. Rawn
University of Tennessee - Joseph Reibenspies
Texas A&M University - Bernhard Rupp
Q.E.D. Life Sciences Discoveries, Inc. - Amy Sarjeant
Northwestern University - Peter Stephens
Stony Brook University - Steven Sheriff
Bristol Myers-Squibb - Kraig Wheller
Eastern Illinois University - Angus P. Wilkinson
Georgia Institute of Technology
NRC STAFF Ana Ferreras, Program Officer
Pam Gamble, Administrative Assistant
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EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS - American Association for Crystal Growth
Bart Kahr, University of Houston - International Center for Diffraction Data
Scott Misture, Alfred University - Microscopy Society of America
Peter Moeck, Portland State University - Co-Chair, NRC Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
Pablo Debenedetti, Princeton University - Co-Chair, NRC Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
C. Dale Poulter, University of Utah - Foreign Secretary, NAS
Michael Clegg, University of California, Irvine
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RESOURCE LINKS
The USNC/IUCr is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. MPS-0650065.
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