


Letter from the President
President's Letter – Winter 2024
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As we bid farewell to the year 2024 and look forward to the beginning of 2025, I write this brief note for the winter Newsletter of the IUCr with best wishes to the people who make up this scientific family.
2024 has been a busy year in terms of scientific meetings of our regional associations, all of them very successful, the last and most recent being the Asian Crystallographic Association (AsCA) meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The regional impact of the IUCr is one of the most effective ways to bring the IUCr closer to the scientific societies related to structural science. Once again we have witnessed the awarding of a Nobel Prize directly related to structural science and macromolecular crystallography. Our community has produced some very creative videos with ingenious ideas for the crystallization competitions that are held in many countries. The new EC Outreach Committee is overseeing support for proposed outreach initiatives around the world. We have also boosted the prominence and leadership of women scientists in our community resulting in an impact on global science.
The reorganization of staff in our Chester office is being completed successfully, both in the editorial, administrative and outreach sections, with Kezia Bowman now looking after the IUCr Newsletter and the addition of Harriet Jackson in the office. There are great expectations for an increase in our editorial strength with the addition of the new Head of Publishing Strategy, who is expected to join the Chester editorial team in the new year.
The Executive Committee met virtually on 12 November, and the Finance Committee will meet virtually on 18 December. The Finance Committee will meet in person in Lund, Sweden, on 24-25 March 2025, just after the annual meeting of the Journals Management Board, which will take place in Chester on 20-21 March. It is a priority for the Executive Committee to return the activity levels of our journals to those in 2019 and to recover their capacity to produce the resources to cover the funding of our projects, especially the support to young scientists and the promotion of structural science in less developed geographical areas. In this endeavor, it is also important that the Finance Committee is able to identify the most productive and secure investments for the future of our financial health.
2025 will be a year of consolidation of the organization of the Congress and the 27th General Assembly in Calgary, Canada. As with every congress, the participation and support of our commercial partners will be very important in order to be able to organise a commercial exhibition as attractive as our scientific congress. It is important that no participation is hampered by bureaucratic or other issues, and we will strive to facilitate the widest possible participation and, in particular, to promote the presence and influence of younger researchers.
All IUCr Commissions are proposing members of the International Programme Committee (IPC) and selecting the more attractive speakers for the Plenary and Keynote Lectures, as well as the most appealing Microsymposia, showing the impact of crystallography and structural science in solving the challenges of the present and future of our planet.
The International Science Council (ISC) Elections for the shortlist of candidates for renewal of the ISC Governing Board will take place in Oman, in the framework of the Muscat Global Knowledge Dialogue and Third ISC General Assembly, in January 2025. The IUCr will be represented by our Vice-President Professor Graciela Díaz de Delgado.
Following its inaugural meeting, the IUCr Early Career Scientist Division (ECSD) met on 18 November 2024, and several decisions were taken to develop this important division of IUCr. The first elected Chair and Co-chair were Rebecca Clulow (ECA) and Orbett Alexander (AfCA). Kara Zielinski (ACA) was nominated as a member of the Division to serve on the International Program Committee (IPC). Actions were planned to increase the visibility of the new IUCr Division in the existing communities and to organize meetings for young scientists in the field of structural sciences. All of the initial group are actively producing new ideas and developing the framework and networks to have a major impact on the present and the future of IUCr.
As usual, I end this letter with deep gratitude to all those who form and make our organisation work, the Regional Associates, the IUCr Commissions and Committees, Editors, Co-editors, referees and authors of our journals, our Chester staff and all individual structural scientists, women and men.
Thanks to IUCr Newsletter Editor Mike Glazer, and his team, and thanks to all contributors for making possible, as with every issue, a new issue that continues to be the reference communication for our community.
Thank you all for helping to keep the momentum of the IUCr going, wherever you are in the world.
Enjoy the holiday season with your families, colleagues and friends!
Best wishes for the best personal and professional development in 2025.
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