Report on the 9th Conference of the BCA

The 9th conference of the Bangladesh Crystallographic Association (BCA) was held on 10-11 January 2025 at A. F. Mujibur Rahman Ganit Bhaban, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh (a flyer and poster of the 9th conference can be seen on the website of the BCA). There were 180 participants (147 registered + 33 invited) from home and abroad that attended the conference. Of the 180 participants, 48 were female. Twelve (12) foreign faculties, scientists and students attended the conference virtually.

The inaugural session of the conference (10 January 2025) was kindly attended by Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed, Pro-Vice Chancellor (academic), University of Dhaka, and Professor Dr Santiago Garcia-Granda, President, International Union of Crystallography (IUCr), as the Guests of Honour.

The two plenary lectures of the conference were delivered (virtually) by Professor Dr Santiago Garcia-Granda, IUCr President, and Professor Dr Michele Zema, Department of Earth and Geo-Environmental Sciences, University of Bari, Italy.

In this two-day conference, there was 1 plenary session, 12 technical sessions and 2 poster sessions. In the technical sessions, there were 14 invited talks (4 female speakers) and 57 oral presentations (15 female presenters). In the poster sessions, 72 posters were presented. Among these poster presenters, 25 were female.

A student presenting her poster.

The closing session of the conference (11 January 2025) was attended by Professor Md Shahidul Islam, Vice Chancellor, Pirojpur Science and Technology University, Professor Dr Genji Kurisu, President, Asian Crystallographic Association (AsCA), and Professor Kazi Matin Uddin Ahmed, Dean, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Dhaka, as the Guests of Honour.

The AsCA President virtually attended the closing session.

The BCA received 3000 USD from the IUCr for its 9th conference as a travel support for young scientists and students. The BCA is thankful for the financial support of the IUCr, University of Dhaka and Bangladesh Councils of Science and Industrial Research (BCSIR). The BCA has published the programme and abstract book of the 9th conference. In the programme and abstract book, the financial and logistic supports given by the institutes and organizations have been gratefully acknowledged. A report of the conference will be uploaded soon to the website of the BCA.