Doing science in the developing world – connecting with TWAS for 2014

  IUCr/UNESCO/TWAS meeting, March 2013. Seated from left: Luc Van Meervelt (IUCr General Secretary and Treasurer), Claude Lecomte (IUCr Vice-President), Romain Murenzi (TWAS Executive Director). Standing from left: Juste Jean-Paul Ngome-Abiaga (UNESCO IBSP Assistant Programme Specialist), Michele Zema (IYCr2014 Project Manager).

The IUCr and UNESCO have set up a close and fruitful collaboration with TWAS, The World Academy of Science for the advancement of science in developing countries, for facilitating the implementation of IYCr2014 activities in Africa, Latin America and Asia. A delegation from the IUCr and UNESCO met the TWAS Executive Director Romain Murenzi on 27 March 2013 in Trieste, Italy (see photo). Romain Murenzi welcomed the focus on crystallography: 'Crystallography should be a prime field for focus and investment by policymakers and educators in developing nations,' he said. 'Nations that develop skill in this field create their own power – the power to address challenges in food production, clean water and health. That makes the International Year of Crystallography very important.' A number of initiatives are being planned by the IUCr and UNESCO in partnership with TWAS, starting with the participation of TWAS scientists in the IYCr2014 Opening Ceremony in Paris on January 20-21, 2014. Other actions will be communicated soon through the IYCr2014 and TWAS websites.

The 24th TWAS General Meeting (Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 1-4, 2013) hosted an invited lecture by G. R. Desiraju, President of the IUCr, titled 'Doing science in the developing world. The International Year of Crystallography as a facilitating event.'

An article about the International Year of Crystallography, written by Edward W. Lempinen, TWAS Public Information Officer, appeared in the latest issue of the TWAS Newsletter. It is available at http://twas.ictp.it/publications/nl/2013-volume-25/twas-newsletter-vol-25-no-1.