The State of the Union

Phil Coppens

As this is my last "Letter from the President", which will appear just prior to the changing of the guard at the Seattle Congress, it is appropriate to reflect on the State of the Union and the status of Crystallography. During the past three years the Union has continued to fulfil its function as the focus of the worldwide Crystallographic community. Its communications have been very much strengthened by the Newsletter, and its publications give a worldwide exposure to the research presented, that is not paralleled by many other Journals. Many of the IUCr Commissions are active with projects and conferences, which are crucial components of the development of the field. The Union represents an increasingly broad spectrum of structural scientists, and new groups remain welcome, either as Scientific Associates, or through the formation of new Commissions. The participation of young scientists is promoted by special funds made available by the Union, and administered by the Calendar Committee. Judging from responses received from the awardees it is money very well spent. Nevertheless we are at a crossroads in our existence. The Union is supported by its publishing activities, which provide the funding for much of what we do. The continuing advance of electronic publishing has consequences that must be addressed. The Chester Office has initiated a one-year project to implement SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) capability, that will eliminate much of the typesetting (and thus also speed up publication!), allow production of computer-searchable CD-Roms, and make it possible to publish electronic editions of the Journals when the time is ripe and subscription mechanisms have been developed. Crystallography has received a great stimulus from new technical developments, in particular the advent of synchrotron sources, that have brought many new scientists into the field. But in several countries its representation on University faculties has diminished, especially in physics and chemistry-oriented branches of crystallography, though not in the biological sciences. This is a trend that can only be reversed by the excellence of the science produced, and increase of its exposure in the broader scientific community.

Much is being written about the necessity for scientists to become politically active and increase their interaction with politicians at all levels of government. Is there a role for International Societies in this respect? International Scientific organizations are increasingly relevant in a shrinking world, but can they exert political influence? The least we can do is provide an authoritative voice when called upon to give our opinion on national activities, as has happened several times in the past triennium. Science and scientists are increasingly delocalized, and International Societies are uniquely suited to promote cross-border interactions. Personally, I want to add that my term as President has been a most fulfilling period. I want to thank all those who contributed so readily to the activities of the Union. The willingness of all to participate bodes well for our future.