Reflections on a Changing Season and the Road to IUCr 2026

The end of summer (in the northern hemisphere at least) is nearly upon us, and students are returning to start their terms. I always look forward to when the students arrive back here in Oxford, a little later than in most UK universities. Although I officially retired 15 years ago (where did all those years go?), for some strange reason, I still get asked to teach for my College and the Physics Department. This gives me the opportunity to meet the students face-to-face and, I hope, utilise some of the teaching experience I have gained over the last 60 or so years. The teaching system in Oxford is based on tutorials or small classes, and this gives me the opportunity to get to know each student personally. It is this aspect of teaching that gives me the most pleasure, as I look forward to the beginning of the term.

I know it is a long way off, but I am already getting excited over the prospect of attending the IUCr Congress in Calgary, Canada, next year. Take a look at the official website at https://www.iucr2026.org/ and you will see what a fantastic program is being offered, and in such a beautiful location. If you love Crystallography like I do, then be sure not to miss it! The IUCr Congresses are typically very well attended and offer a unique opportunity to meet other crystallographers from all over the world and make new acquaintances. I have participated at every Congress since 1966 (apart from the Prague Congress in 2021, when COVID made it difficult to attend), and this has led me to meet many friends and colleagues, often resulting in new research collaborations over the years.

Earlier this year, we reported the formation of the American Union of Crystallography. This has arisen in response to the decision of the National Science Foundation to discontinue direct support for the US National Committee for Crystallography (see https://zurl.co/Lnc7H). You can read more about this here.

In this issue of the Newsletter, Istvan Hargittai continues his series of articles for the Newsletter, this time beginning with the Hungarian mathematician George Pólya, who published on crystal symmetry. The article also describes an interview with Donald Coxeter and his interactions with the renowned artist Maurits Escher (the crystallographers’ favourite artist!). I was struck by Istvan’s quote:

Mathematicians and crystallographers recognized Escher before anybody else. What was his main appeal?

It was the appeal of symmetry.

Congratulations to David Eisenberg on the award of the latest Gregori Aminoff Prize. He pioneered the study of the molecular structure of amyloid proteins, thereby providing new insights into neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. For those who are unfamiliar with this prestigious award, it is an international prize presented since 1979 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in the field of Crystallography. The Prize is named in memory of the Swedish scientist and artist Gregori Aminoff (1883–1947), Professor of Mineralogy at the Swedish Museum of Natural History from 1923. It is considered the Nobel Prize of Crystallography. I recall being fortunate to attend one of the ceremonies in 1998 when the Prize was awarded to my friends Pieter (Pim) de Wolff, Ted Janssen and Aloysio Janner for their research into the theory and practice of studying modulated crystal structures. I recall giving a talk there entitled "Incommensurate diffraction as an end member of disorder". As part of the proceedings, we were invited to the Royal Palace for a reception in the evening, held in the presence of the King. A memorable occasion. Unfortunately, Pim was too ill at the time to attend and, sadly, died soon after (see https://www.iucr.org/news/newsletter/etc/legacy-articles?issue=1344&result_138864_result_page=17).

At time of writing, the latest Nobel Prize for Chemistry has been awarded for research into metal organic frameworks (MOFs) to Susumu Kitagawa (Japan), Richard Robson (Australia) and Omar M. Yaghi (USA). Crystallography has a major role in the study of MOFs and we expect to have an article on this in the next issue of the Newsletter.