Powder Power Everywhere

Russia

The 12th Russian Conf. on X-ray Diff. Analysis of Raw Materials in Sochi, Russia, Mar. 1992, was organized by the X-ray Raw Materials Comm. of the Mineralogical Soc., the Geological Inst. of the Russian Acad. of Sciences and Sankt Petersburg U. and sponsored by the Science Production Association (Burevestnik), the Joint-Stock Company AYAKS, and the Science Production Cooperative KHRONOS. Topics of the conference were diffractometry, instrumentation, software, Rietveld technique, quantitative analysis, crystal chemistry, mineral structure, and layered silicates. 70 Participants from Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, Georgia, Lithuania, and Tatarstan attended and 214 abstracts were printed in the Conference volume. Among the talks presented were "80 Years of X-Ray Diffraction in Geological Sciences" (V. A. Frank-Kamenetsky), "Crystal Chemistry of Octahedral Cations Fe, Mg, Al in Layered Silicates" (E. A. Goilo), and "Databases for Qualitative X-Ray Phase Analysis, Historical Aspects" (E. K. Vasil'ev).

Czechoslovakia

The 211th Seminar of the Czechoslovak Crystallographic Society in Liptovsky Mikulas, Sept. 29-0ct. 1, 1992, was sponsored by Philips, Siemens, Inel, Minpepa (Prague), and High Screen (Liptovsky Mikulas). The 29 lectures and 13 posters included lectures by D. Havlicek (Pitfalls in Air Pollutants Location and Quantification), A. Buchal (Open Questions on Ion Nitriding of Steels), and F. Hanic (A New Theory of High Temperature Superconductivity.)

South America

Rietveld Summer Schools conducted by A. K. Cheetham, R. B. Von Dreele, and R. A. Young attracted 30 students in La Plata, Argentina (Dec. 8-10, 1992) and 42 students in Sao Paulo, Brazil (Dec. 14-16, 1992). The schools were sponsored by the NSF (USA), CONICET (Argentina), and CNPQ (Brazil).

Lecturers, organizers, and attendees gathered outside Amon Village. Photo by J.I. Langford.

Egypt

The 4th Egyptian Int'l School and Workshop in Crystallography was held in Amon Village, near Aswan, 16-25 Jan. 1993, with financial support from the IUCr, the Ambassadors of France and the Netherlands in Cairo, the British Council, and the German Academic Exchange Service (DADD). The scientific program was arranged by a committee of the Commission on Powder Diffraction, which included three of the School's 12 lecturers. The main topics were collecting data worthy of computer analysis, data reduction, phase identification, crystal structure and microstructure analysis, quantitative analysis, computer program, and noncrystalline materials. Plenary lectures were given by A. Authier and F. Ahmed.

There were about 60 participants, from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and the USA. Participants stayed in Amon Village, a holiday complex near Aswan, which was ideal for fostering dialogue between staff and students. At the opening ceremony there were contributions from several distinguished Egyptians, including Gen. S. Mesbah, Gov. of Aswan Province. In addition to the main excursion to Abou Simbel, Gen. Salah Mesbah arranged for all participants to visit the High Dam, Philae Temple, and several other antiquities, and Aswan itself, as his guests. (J. Ian Langford, U. of Birmingham, UK.)

Africa

A workshop on modern X-ray powder diffractometry was held at the U. of Zimbabwe, Harare, 25 to 31 Mar. 1993. The course was hosted by the U. Inst. of Mining Res. (IMR) and sponsored by the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries (SAREC). There were 24 participants drawn from the University, local industry, and government departments, with interests in geology, geophysics, metallurgy, mineralogy, and soil science. The main objectives were to give instruction in making optimal use of conventional powder diffractometers for the collection of high quality data, and in modern methods for characterizing materials by means of X-ray diffraction.