The University of Notre Dame will host the American Crystallographic Association Summer Course in Chemical Crystallography from June 18 – 27. Students enrolled in the course include graduate students, faculty, and industry professionals who have a background in biochemistry, chemistry or physics. Attendees are coming from all over the world including the India, Thailand, Brazil, Sweden, and the United States.
The course will teach the students about X-ray diffraction theory and how to use an X-ray diffractomer, an instrument used to calculate the molecular arrangement of atoms in three-dimensional space. Use of this instrumentation can be used to study any types of molecules that come in crystal form, including inorganic and organic molecules. During the course, students will collect data and analyze their own crystal samples and present their findings to their classmates.
Allen Oliver, associate research professor of chemistry and director of the Molecular Structure Facility at Notre Dame, will lead the course with the assistance of 13 chemistry faculty members from around the United States. Notre Dame is co-hosting the annual chemical crystallography course with Northwestern University over the next four years, with the school location alternating each year.