SGK/SSCr: Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Kristallographie
In 2018, the Swiss Society for Crystallography started new projects to promote the crystallography and the scientific results obtained by the community. A new initiative has been launched to honor a worldwide reckoned crystallographer from the University of Geneva who prematurely died in 2017, Dr. Howard Flack. In April 2018, we introduced the 'Howard Flack Crystallographic Lecture Series' with Prof. Omar Yaghi from the University of California, Berkeley as a first invited speaker traveling around the different Swiss institutions giving 7 lectures in 5 days. Prof. Yaghi is the initiator of the field of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), materials based on organic linkers and metal connectors. The crystallographic research in this field is fundamental. The great success leads to the continuation in autumn 2019 with the visit of Prof. Matt Rosseinsky from the University of Liverpool. He works on new materials for solid oxide fuel cells and ceramic gas separation and catalytic membranes and we will mount together with him and our Swiss research institutions an exciting science program.
The 6th European Conference on Crystal Growth and 2nd European School on Crystal Growth took place in Varna, Bulgaria from 16 to 20 September 2018.
The 2018 edition of the annual meeting of the society was entitled “The Breadth of Crystallography” in order to highlight how vast a field of science is covered by one of the most field-crossing disciplines. 14 posters were exposed and an independent jury had the ingrate task to select the winner for the SGK-SSCr poster prize. The prize was assigned to Mr. Tomasz Poreba for the contribution titled “Bonding in polyiodides under high pressure”.
The traditional PSI Summer School for Powder Diffraction - Modern Synchrotron Methods - has been held at the Swiss Light Source synchrotron within the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen AG from 24 to 28 September 2018. The attendance was limited to 40 students because of the limits of capacity of the experimental hatch at the Materials Science X04SA beamline, where the practical exercises were held. The event is regularly organized on a two years base and it has now become a famous event.
Last but not least, many Swiss crystallographers attended the general assembly of the European Crystallography Meeting ECM31, held in Oviedo (Spain) from 22 to 27 August 2018. Switzerland was among the most represented countries and many researchers, including young scientists, had the opportunity to present their results to an excellent audience.
2 issues of the Society Newsletter (Nr. 99 and Nr. 100)
The 'Howard Flack Crystallographic Lecture Series' with Prof. Omar Yaghi from the University of California, Berkeley giving 7 lectures in 5 days (PSI, ETHZ, UniZH, University of Bern, University of Fribourg, EPFL Sion, University of Geneva, 15-21 April 2018).
The Summer School for Powder Diffraction (PSI in Villigen 24-28 September 2018).
Annual Meeting of the Swiss Crystallographic Association (PSI in Villigen, 12 September 2018)
The Swiss society for crystallography SSCr is part of the European crystallographic association and the delegates attended the assembly of the European Crystallographic Association and all sessions of the special interest groups of this association.
The Swiss Society of Crystallography SSCr is also part of the International Union of Crystallography IUCr.
The new partnership with the German Association of crystal Growth continues to grow.
One travel grant was issued to participate at an international school.