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Crystallographic community

Bill,

I read with interest your editorial in the latest issue of the IUCr Newsletter. It is unfortunate indeed when crystallographers decide (for whatever ill-conceived reason) that they are being persecuted and need to wage a holy war against some other part of the community. Your editorial reminded me of the conscientious effort made to include all facets of crystallography in the IUCr Congress in Seattle in 1996 meeting. The powder/inorganic community is hard to get to a crystallographic meeting because they tend to go to the scientific topical meetings focused on whatever they are working on at the time. The broad crystallographic community should be grateful that the macromolecular crystallographers have worked so hard to maintain a working infrastructure for the ACA and IUCr within which they have always been welcome. As you say, when it comes to organizing a meeting that attracts the broad community, the sessions chairs are the key. I don’t think any group has a right to whine unless they have offered to step up and do some work and have been refused the opportunity.

Jim Jorgensen

Dear Jim,

I’m sure the macromolecular crystallographic community will be pleased by your accurate appraisal of their critically important contribution to the continued prosperity of the IUCr and its regional associates. Your comments are especially welcome coming from a recognized leader of the Materials Research and Neutron Diffraction Community.

Bill
22 July 2008