First Belgian Crystallography Symposium

More than 140 scientists took part in the First Belgian Crystallography Symposium (BCS-1), Oct. 28, 1999 in Brussels to promote interdisciplinary contacts between Belgian scientists who use diffraction and microscopy techniques in condensed matter chemistry and physics, material sciences, earth sciences and life sciences. Plenary lectures included From small to large in crystallography (J. Kroon, Utrecht), Modern aspects of powder crystallography (D. Louër, Rennes) and Electron microscopy techniques for structure analysis (D. Schryvers, Antwerp). There were 54 posters grouped in five sections, Techniques and Methods, Physical Crystallography and interfaces in, and organic - small organic molecule, and macromolecular Chemical Crystallography.

The Belgian National Committee for Crystallography plans a symposium at biennial intervals. The meeting was sponsored by both Royal Academies of Belgium for Science and the Arts, and the firms Bruker, EFG, MarResearch, Nonius, and Philips.

Luc Van Meervelt