Mar 13 2014
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has declared 2014 to be the International Year of Crystallography (IYCr2014). Throughout this year UNESCO with the support of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) will be working on raising awareness of the importance of crystallography in daily life.
This year, a large number of events around the world will aim to spread crystallographic knowledge, inspire young people and promote education and research in crystallography.
PANalytical attended the IYCr2014 opening ceremony on 20th – 21st January 2014, at the UNESCO building in Paris, France, with a lecture on ‘The importance of crystallography in our daily lives’ held by Martijn Fransen, product marketing manager X-ray diffraction. The company’s ongoing support of IYCr2014 includes the organization of a number of educational OpenLab events worldwide - consisting of schools and workshops on crystallography, aiming to raise awareness and understanding of this powerful science, responsible for 29 Nobel Prizes.
Crystallography is the basis of a wide range of applications throughout industry, from geological investigation (mineralogical exploration) and pharmaceutical development to research into novel materials for renewable energy. In addition to day-to-day routine use, crystallography is emerging as an essential tool in tackling some of the world's most pressing contemporary issues, such as finding innovative solutions for dealing with the scarcity of natural resources, managing global population growth and addressing climate change.
Martijn Fransen: “At PANalytical we believe that access to education in crystallography on a global scale is the key to finding solutions to these issues. Through our support and participation in the 2014 International Year of Crystallography we hope to attract the interest of young people and those working in research & industry worldwide, and inspire the next generation of crystallographers”.
For more information on PANalytical’s participation in IYCr2014 and the upcoming OpenLab events visit www.panalytical.com/IYCr2014.