IYCr 2014: Launch at UNESCO

doi:10.1515/ci.2014.36.2.14b

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IYCr 2014: Launch at UNESCO

Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 27. März 2014

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Aus der Zeitschrift Chemistry International Band 36 Heft 2

More than 800 people, including government representatives, scientists, and journalists, attended the opening ceremony to launch the International Year of Crystallography at UNESCO on 20 and 21 January 2014. participated. The Year, organized jointly by UNESCO and the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr), aims to increase awareness of a field of research that is not well known to the public, despite its major contribution to modern science.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, opened the ceremony alongside the President of the International Union of Crystallography, Gautam R. Desiraju, and Morocco’s Vice-Minister of Higher Education and Research, Soumaia Benkhaldoun. Nicole Moreau, former IUPAC president (during the 2011 International Year of Chemistry), was among the international speakers. Subjects addressed during the two days included scientific advances linked to crystallography and its potential for development, notably in emerging nations; future applications of crystallography; and its relations to Islamic art and architecture.

In his closing remarks, Maciej Nalecz from UNESCO’s International Basic Sciences Programme explained it was important for IYCr2014 to leave a legacy. “The International Year of Physics created a training programme that continues to this day, and the International Year of Chemistry introduced the Global Water Experiment that became part of the school curriculum in many countries,” he said. “Crystallography has many possibilities for follow up, and I’m absolutely sure this will be a year to remember.”

Three major regional summit meetings will take place during the Year: in Karachi, Pakistan, 28-30 April; Campinas, Brazil, 21-24 September; and Bloemfontein, South Africa, 15-17 October. These meetings will serve as platforms for exchange between decision-makers and scientists and are intended to further the development of crystallography research. Crystallography demonstration laboratories (open labs) will be set up throughout the year in universities around the world. The laboratories will be equipped with diffractometers, measuring instruments used to analyze the structure of a material, made available by their manufacturers free of charge. These open labs will be used to stimulate international scientific cooperation and train scientists in the use of these instruments, and to carry out experiments in the presence of students.

A crystal growing competition will also be open to secondary school students all over the world. UNESCO and IUCr will provide interested classes with teaching kits. The competition involves using a saturated saline solution to grow a single crystal with the objective of obtaining the largest, purest and most beautiful crystal possible.

Crystallography studies the composition and structure of crystals. The discovery of X-rays in the early 20^th century made it possible to observe the nuclear and molecular structure of crystals and other materials, paving the way for modern crystallography. On the crossroads of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics, crystallography has had numerous applications in the agro-food industry, pharmaceutics and technology.

See more at www.iycr2014.org/ and www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-years/crystallography/

Published Online: 2014-03-27

Published in Print: 2014-03

Artikel in diesem Heft

https://doi.org/10.1515/ci.2014.36.2.14b