Editorial

This issue of the IUCr Newsletter contains the second installment of highlights from edited reports of the scientific sessions at the XVII Congress in Seattle submitted by session chairs. Reports concern keynote addresses and microsymposia related to small molecule single crystal, materials, surface, fiber diffraction and small angle scattering studies. The final set of reports will appear in the next issue along with Congress statistics and a summary report on the opinion concerning the formats andcontent of future IUCr meetings gathered from participants on the closing days of the 1996 Congress.

While the survey results suggest that most participants were pleased with the Congress, there is one aspect of it that drew a great deal of criticism. Many people complained about the cost, quality, format and scarcity of booze at the banquet, contrasting what they considered to be the meager banquet fare with the lavishness of the opening reception and the evening at the science center. This disparity arose from the fact that the banquet fee covered the real cost of the meal, facility and service, whereas the costs of the opening reception and science center evening were subsidized by the registration fee, by income from the exhibition, and from donations.

This may not have been the best IUCr banquet ever but it may well become the best documented. Group photographs were taken of the people at each of the 110 tables in the banquet hall and those at the table were asked to provide the photographers with a list of the names of the people at the table. We are in the process of trying to match the names with the people at the table. Six of the table photos are used as illustrations in the Congress Report. Typical quotations from the angry diners are used in the photo captions.

Photographs of all 110 tables have been placed on theWWW together with partial lists of identifications. I wish to ask any reader who attended the banquet to assist the editorial office staff in identifying the people in the pictures. We would like to attach names to all 1,100 faces in the banquet photos. If you can help send us a message to amy@hwi.buffalo.edu. We plan to do the same thing with the photos that were taken of the microsymposia speakers and chairs. Credit for photos taken in Seattle goes to the Photomaniacs (A. DeCecco, J. Duax, S. Duax, N. Li, H. Nova deArmas, T. O'Connor, M. Sawicki and C. Zardecki).

450 Titles on Line

The crystallographic community continues to maximize the use of electronic media in meeting organization. Over 450 abstracts have been received for the 1997 ACA meeting which will be held in St Louis, MO, Jul. 19-25. All tities and abstracts and further information about the meeting can be found on the WWW at http://www.hwi.buffalo.edu/ACA/.