Meeting report (IUCr supported)
17th International Summer School on Crystal Growth
The 17th International Summer School on Crystal Growth (ISSCG-17) was held at the YMCA of the Rockies – Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, CO, USA, from 21 to 26 July 2019. The event was organized and hosted by the American Association for Crystal Growth (AACG) under the auspices of the International Organization for Crystal Growth (IOCG). In keeping with tradition, the school was scheduled the week prior to the 19th International Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy (ICCGE-19), which was held in Keystone, CO, USA. The international meetings (ICCGE/ISSCG) represent a 60-year history of international cooperation in the field of crystal growth and epitaxy. The previous summer school (ISSCG-16) was held in 2016 at Lake Biwa, Shiga, Japan. The summer school was last held in the USA in Park City, UT, in 2007.
The technical program consisted of 14 lectures covering both theoretical and experimental aspects of growth and characterization of semiconducting, oxide, metallic, organic and biological crystals. Lectures were given by leading researchers in fundamentals of crystal growth and epitaxial processes, nanocrystallization and in-situ and ex-situ characterization. A textbook entitled Fundamentals of Crystal Growth and Epitaxy based on the lecture materials was provided to students in advance of the school to help them prepare for the immersive educational experience and to serve as a useful reference text for their future research.
The format of the school was designed to encourage interaction between lecturers and attendees. Informal discussions were facilitated via numerous social events including breakfasts and dinners, poster sessions with extended coffee breaks, a welcome reception and a barbeque. In addition, the YMCA venue had numerous activities providing additional opportunities for attendees to interact in a rustic and scenic outdoor setting.
The specific objectives of ISSCG-17 included the following:
- to provide an intellectual forum to promote and disseminate the science and practice of crystal growth and epitaxy to graduate students and early career researchers through lectures and activities given by internationally recognized experts who have significant experience in academic instruction
- to create networking activities for graduate students and early-career researchers to interact with the senior lecturers and each other to foster community development
- to develop a textbook on the fundamentals and practice of crystal growth for attendees and other interested parties that captures the intellectual content of the school and serves as a reference for research and graduate-level coursework in the field
- to facilitate interactions between participants from different countries and geographic regions to support and strengthen the international crystal growth community
- to promote and encourage participation by women and members of underrepresented groups in science and engineering in the field of crystal growth and epitaxy.
Participants
A total of 72 attendees participated in the school with ~50% being graduate students or postdoctoral scholars and the remainder consisting of both new and experienced researchers in the field of crystal growth. We were committed to achieving a diverse group of participants and specifically encouraged applications from women, members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in STEM in the US and a diverse range of geographic participants. A total of 14 internationally recognized scholars (21.4% women and minority) served as lecturers. The audience included 37 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars and 19 regular attendees, which included many early-career researchers from universities, national laboratories and industry. Among the school attendees, approximately 37% were female among both regular and student/postdoc attendees. The geographic distribution of regular and student/posdoc attendees included 66% from the US, 11% from Asia-Pacific and 23% from Europe.
IUCr awards
Five graduate students from Europe and Asia-Pacific were selected to receive the IUCr Young Researcher Awards, which were used to offset their transportation, housing and meal costs to attend ISSCG-17.
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