Rietveld Summer School in Poland

A Rietveld Summer School was held Sept. 5-7, 1997 in Wisla, Poland under the sponsorship of the IUCr, the Polish Committee of Research, Optimus SA, and the Silesian U. Inst. of Physics and Chemistry of Metals (Katowice). Participants came from Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iran, Poland, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine. There were lectures in the morning and hands-on use of the computers (PC's) in the afternoon. The GSAS and DBWS programs were available, along with prepared learning exercises. I. Madsen (CSIRO Minerals, Australia) gave a lecture on quantitative phase analysis using the Rietveld method and served as a popular tutor. D.K. Smith (USA) and L. Smrcok (Slovak Rep) also served as tutors. Lectures were all given by R.B. Von Dreele (USA), J.P. Attfield (UK), and Course Director R.A. Young (USA). The course had the best PC facilities ever: A new Pentium 150 PC for every two students. The local organizing committee from the Silesian Univ., Katowice was chaired by H. Morawiec with assistance from D. and K. Stroz. Each student received a User's Guide for the DBWS program, Young's monograph on "Using the Rietveld Method", a manual for the GSAS program and copies of all of the software and exercises used in the course on diskettes. We applaud the IUCr's continuing support of schools, workshops and meetings throughout the world. We have seen at first-hand, the benefits to the participants.