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Table of Contents Contributions to the ACA Newsletter should be sent
to either Co-Editor: Judith L. Flippen-Anderson Marcia J. Colquhoun, Administrative Manager ACA Home Page: http://www.hwi.buffalo.edu/ACA/ ACA Newsletter (ISSN 1058-9945) Number 3, 1999. Published four times per year in the spring, summer, fall and winter for the membership of the American Crystallographic Association, P.O. Box 96, Ellicott Station, Buffalo, NY 14205-0096. Membership in the ACA includes a non-deductible charge of $1.75 from membership dues to be applied to a subscription to the ACA Newsletter. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT BUFFALO, NY. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ACA, c/o 73 High St., Buffalo, NY, 14203. |
President's
Column In my first president's column I indicated the need for basic education in crystallography and X-ray diffraction methods. Chemistry Departments have almost completely eliminated such courses. Although I asked for suggestions, to date, only one by Bob Glaeser has been received. Perhaps this is due to your not having my e-mail address so here it is: clearfield@ chemvx.tamu.edu. Bob attributes the demise of crystallography courses to the demand to reduce course loads for research active faculty. The only way, he suggests, that formal crystallography courses will be reinstated is for qualified faculty to take it upon themselves as an add-on to their normal teaching load. Fat chance! Barring that solution, Bob suggests that the ACA take it upon themselves to offer an intensive 12 day course every year on crystallography fundamentals. Other such courses (Cold Spring Harbor) and the ACA Summer course are hands on type. What Bob recommends is a study course only, with mathematical background necessary for rigor, lots of homework and exams. Students so trained could then profit much more from the hands on type course or work in their home departments. One advantage of such a course is that the class size can be much expanded as only equipment available in any research lab is required for demonstration purposes. Another idea is to have two or more departments share the teaching of a full credit course. Hands on work would then be carried out in each of the departments involved. In order to implement these suggestions your elected council needs to know what you think. You may have additional ideas so let me hear from you. Another area in which we need to move ahead is closer contacts with crystallographers in South and Central America. I have begun to assemble contacts and information concerning how we can interact to our mutual benefit. I intend to discuss this matter at our next council meeting October 2. My experience in working with two universities in Spain is that the X-ray labs are well equipped and the crystallographers are well trained. My final topic for discussion is volunteerism. The ACA could not exist were it not for volunteers to help at our annual meetings in the various committees and in many other significant ways. We only need to re-read our past president's column in the Winter 1998 newsletter to understand the full value of helping our discipline to thrive. However, as we mature and grow further there is a need for more volunteers. For example, this year we became an associate member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). We will need to participate in AAAS committees and we are also developing some closer ties to the American Institute of Physics. We have become especially popular for cooperative symposia in the year 2000 as requested by NIST and NASA. And so it goes. As a result our Council may be calling on you to help us fulfill all these obligations. As Penny remarked in her column every one of our member volunteers give generously of their time and effort to further the success of the ACA. Therefore, when we call upon you we hope you will answer the call. A final note. I have received a bulletin from the Council of Scientific Society Presidents that Congress, in response to their balanced budget goals plans to cut research support about 10% with NASA getting a 17% cut. We need to write to Congress and the White House on how important research is to our economic well being. They need to hear from you. Abe Clearfield |
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