The focus of AUC 2017 is on solution studies of biological macromolecules, interacting systems, synthetic polymers, nanoparticles and colloids. Techniques such as analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), dynamic and static light scattering (DLS, MALLS), small angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS, SANS), NMR, SPR, field flow fractionation (FFF), and calorimetry (ITC, DSC) are featured.

AUC 2017 will open with several workshops, which begin on the afternoon of Sunday 23rd July, and end on the afternoon of Tuesday 25th July. These workshops will be given by leading experts in the workshop topics.

A symposium will follow the workshop, starting in the evening of Tuesday 25th July with our keynote lecture and continue until the afternoon of Friday 28th July. The symposium will offer two poster sessions, an exhibitor fair, and round-table discussions.

This workshop will take place in Caen, France. Â The training will cover many aspects of "Combined Analysis" by X-ray and neutron scattering ranging from fundamental requirements to technically relevant industrial and academic applications, including diffraction techniques, phase analysis, electron microscopy and the use of MAUD software.

The number of places on the workshop is limited to 30. Â Registration deadline is 30th June 2017.

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Crystallography Meets Physics

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The school is aimed at graduate students and post-docs with backgrounds in physics, chemistry, or materials science who may have no prior knowledge of how to use neutron beams to study materials. Undergraduate students, professors and other researchers are welcome as well. The curriculum covers a wide range of scientific areas, such as magnetism, industrial alloys, and thin films, and will incorporate both lectures and experimental training.

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Early registration deadline is Feb 28, 2017.

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For more information, including the list of topics included in the program, Â please visit the school webpage:Â http://cins.ca/ss2017/

Topics to be covered will include:

• Crystallography overview/X-ray generation/Methods of Crystallization

• This lecture will present an overview of the diffraction experiment and what data a researcher might obtain from a structure; primarily structural details â€" atomic connectivity intermolecular interactions, finger-printing. Discussion on methods of X-ray generation (sealed-tube, rotating anode and synchrotron) and methods for crystal growth (single crystal) will also be presented.

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• The History of X-Rays

  The lecture will describe Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays, the time period when the discovery was made, and how it transformed the opaque world.

• The Diffraction Experiment

  The lecture will introduce properties of X-rays, hkl indices, lattice planes, Bragg’s law, and factors that influence the intensities of the diffracted beams.

• Crystallization Techniques
• Space Groups and Symmetry

  Nature has given us 230 three-dimensional space groups. Some are very common while others have few literature examples. For molecular structures, the top six space groups yield a combined 80% frequency throughout crystallographic literature and databases. This interactive presentation will focus on teaching the symmetries for this subset to provide a basic understanding and as a gateway to understand all space groups. The symmetry elements comprising all space groups are the identity, the rotation, the mirror, the screw axis, the glide plane, the inversion and the roto-inversion operations. Special positions (inversions, rotations, and mirrors) will be considered. Finally, consideration will be given to why this subset of space groups is so common while others are not.

• Structure Refinement

  Least squares is the method of choice to refine a crystallographic model determined by Patterson or direct methods. These beginning models are crude with atoms placed in approximate locations and an assumed isotropic displacement parameter. The goal is to expand the refinement to include anisotropic displacement parameters where appropriate, geometrically place or refine hydrogen atoms where appropriate, and model disordered species (subject of later lecture). Ideally, least-squares refinements will converge leaving no significant shifting of any parameters. Residuals, GOF, and weighting schemes, and calculation of standard uncertainties will be discussed.

• Powder Diffraction Techniques
• Twinning
• Modulation
• Structure Finalization

  This lecture will give an overview of the finalization of structure refinement and publication of the resulting data. The general questions, “When is the structure refinement complete?” and “How is the data published?” will be reviewed. The creation of publication materials, including the crystallographic information file (CIF), figures, and the description of refinement details as well as structure validation with checkCIF will also be discussed.

• Crystallographic Databases

  This lecture will cover the databases available to crystallographers, including the Cambridge Structural Database, the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database and the ICDD Powder database. Helpful techniques for database searching and data mining will be described and demonstrated.