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| Swiss Crystallographic Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | Swiss Crystallographic Association |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Non-profit scientific society |
| Headquarters | Switzerland |
| Fields | Crystallography, Structural Chemistry, Mineralogy |
| Leader title | President |
Swiss Crystallographic Association is a national scholarly society focused on crystallography, structural science, and related experimental and theoretical methods. The association connects researchers from institutions such as ETH Zurich, University of Geneva, University of Zurich, EPFL, and University of Basel with international bodies including International Union of Crystallography, European Crystallographic Association, Royal Society, Max Planck Society, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Its activities intersect with laboratories like Paul Scherrer Institute, facilities such as Swiss Light Source, and projects linked to European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, CERN, and ITER.
The association was founded amid growth in postwar structural studies influenced by milestones like the determination of the DNA double helix by James Watson and Francis Crick, and by advances at institutions such as Cambridge University, University of Oxford, Harvard University, California Institute of Technology, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Early membership included scientists connected to laboratories at University of Lausanne, University of Bern, ETH Zurich, and research centers similar to Los Alamos National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory. The society evolved alongside developments in methods credited to figures such as Linus Pauling, Max von Laue, William Henry Bragg, William Lawrence Bragg, Rosalind Franklin, and Dorothy Hodgkin. During the late 20th century, collaborations expanded to European networks like European Molecular Biology Laboratory and national agencies such as Swiss National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health-aligned programs.
The association promotes structural determination techniques pioneered by researchers like Arthur Lindo Patterson and instruments developed at facilities such as Diamond Light Source, SOLEIL, BESSY II, SPring-8, and PETRA III. It supports research programs connecting groups at University of Basel, ETH Zurich, EPFL, and University of Geneva with international consortia including European Research Council, Gordon Research Conferences, Royal Society of Chemistry, and American Chemical Society. Activities emphasize methods associated with scientists such as Giulio Natta, John Kendrew, Max Perutz, Ada Yonath, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, and Thomas Steitz and with techniques like those advanced by Aaron Klug. The association fosters data standards influenced by Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre, Protein Data Bank, International Centre for Diffraction Data, and software linked to developers from Oxford University Press and laboratories like Argonne National Laboratory.
Leadership mirrors structures seen in organizations such as International Union of Crystallography and European Crystallographic Association, with elected officers akin to positions at Royal Society and committees similar to those at Max Planck Society. The executive committee liaises with advisory panels that include representatives from Paul Scherrer Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, University of Bern, University of Fribourg, and research groups with ties to Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, Yale University, and Princeton University. Administrative functions coordinate with funding bodies such as Swiss National Science Foundation and collaborative platforms like Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.
Members come from departments and institutes such as Department of Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Department of Physics, University of Geneva, Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography, University of Lausanne, and industrial research labs including units at Novartis, Roche, Nestlé research divisions, and start-ups spun from ETH Zurich and EPFL. The community includes researchers influenced by awardees of honors like the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Wolf Prize in Chemistry, Royal Medal, Copley Medal, and Lemelson–MIT Prize. It connects doctoral and postdoctoral fellows trained under mentors from Princeton University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, and Stanford University.
The association organizes national meetings and topical workshops in the style of Gordon Research Conferences, European Crystallographic Meeting, American Crystallographic Association sessions, and symposia akin to those at International Union of Crystallography triennials. Events are held at venues such as ETH Zurich, EPFL, University of Geneva, Palais de l'UNESCO, and conference centers used by European Molecular Biology Organization. Topics reflect advances from laboratories like Paul Scherrer Institute, software developments paralleling CCP4, and experimental breakthroughs reported at American Physical Society meetings and Materials Research Society conferences.
Education programs mirror initiatives by European Crystallographic Association and teaching efforts at universities like ETH Zurich, University of Basel, EPFL, University of Geneva, and University of Lausanne. Outreach targets school partnerships similar to projects run by Natural History Museum, London and curriculum collaborations akin to those with UNESCO-backed programs. Training courses cover methods used by researchers associated with Diamond Light Source, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Swiss Light Source, and computational approaches developed at institutions such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory.
The association grants prizes and travel fellowships modeled on awards from bodies such as International Union of Crystallography, European Crystallographic Association, Royal Society of Chemistry, and national honors comparable to those from Swiss National Science Foundation. Recipients often have affiliations with ETH Zurich, EPFL, University of Zurich, Paul Scherrer Institute, University of Basel, and international partners at Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Award categories recognize achievements in fields associated with laureates such as Linus Pauling, Dorothy Hodgkin, Ada Yonath, John Kendrew, and Max Perutz.
Category:Scientific organizations based in Switzerland Category:Crystallography