ACA SUMMER COURSE FOR CRYSTALLOGRAPHERS
The sixth annual ACA Summer Course for Crystallographers will be held from
August 4 through August 14, 1997 at the University of Georgia, Athens GA.
The intent of this course is to provide a selected group of attendees a
quick and intense introduction to the basics of crystal structure determination
and analysis: how to collect X-ray diffraction data, how to use associated
software to determine and refine a crystal structure, and how to analyze
the results. The course will focus on improving the participants' basic
understanding of crystallography, with particular emphasis on avoiding some
of the common pitfalls in structural work. It will use a revised edition
of the detailed and extensive notes prepared by the lecturers. These notes,
and the lectures and hands-on experience with area detectors, diffractometers
and software, will give attendees an opportunity to review the basic mathematics
and physics behind structure analysis, and to become familiar with various
"tricks of the trade" and with some of the best modern practices.
The University of Georgia (UGA) has equipment from all three major vendors
(Enraf Nonius and Siemens diffractometers in Chemistry and Rigaku, MarResearch
and Siemens area detectors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology). The associated
software is also operational in each of these departments.
The course will emphasize the basics of crystallography, and will be divided
approximately equally between lectures and laboratory sessions. It will
involve primarily the determination of small-molecule structures, with samples
brought by participants. For those especially interested in macromolecular
structure determination, additional lectures will focus on protein crystal
growth and phase determination, but there will be no opportunity for practical
work in this area. The lecturers will be the two co-organisers: Prof. Bi-Cheng
Wang (UGA) and Dr. Robert Sparks (Consultant, Siemens Corp.), together with
Prof. Bryan Craven (University of Pittsburgh), Dr. Richard E. Marsh (CalTech)
Prof. Ward Robinson (Canterbury University, New Zealand), Prof. Wally Cordes
(University of Arkansas), Prof. Gary Newton (UGA) and Dr. John Rose (UGA).
For the macromolecular component the lecturer will be Prof. B. C. Wang (UGA).
Advanced undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, service
crystallographers and crystallographers from corporate and other laboratories
are invited to apply for admission, which will be limited to about 35. Attendees
should, preferably, have had some prior experience in small-molecule or
protein crystallography, as presented for example in "Crystal Structure
Analysis: A Primer," by Glusker & Trueblood.
Tuition for the course will be $600. Three full-tuition scholarships and
seven half-tuition scholarships will be provided on a competitive basis.
The criteria for these awards are (1) expected benefits from the course;
(2) qualifications; (3) motivation.
Accommodations have been reserved at UGA Student Housing for participants,
from the evening of August 3; the rate for these air-conditioned rooms will
be $30 per day single, or $17 per day double occupancy. Student housing
is only a short walk from where the lectures will be given, and an equally
short walk from the sites of all the X-ray equipment that will be used.
APPLICATION FORMS MUST BE COMPLETED AND RETURNED TO PROF. WANG BY MAY 31,
1997.
Application forms are also available from Prof. Bi-Cheng Wang, Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
30602. Telephone: 706-542-1747; Fax: 706-542-3077. Forms are also available
via E-mail from wang@BCL1.biochem.uga.edu or rose@BCL4.biochem.uga.edu.