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Industrial Group of the BCA
August 2000 NewsletterContents
EditorialWelcome to a slightly later than usual Industrial Group summer newsletter. My fault I'm afraid - I've changed jobs within Rolls-Royce and it has taken longer than I thought to get the new job and all the bits for the newsletter into some sort of order. Still here it is. One of the questions that is often asked is - how was such and such a conference/seminar? Not only by my managers but also by professional colleagues. This has got me thinking, there must be a lot more meetings out there than the BCA IG events reported in this newsletter. For example I've just spent 3 days at the International Conference on Residual Stress. This is not a crystallography meeting as such but 50% of the content was based on crystallography. Also at least one poster and presentation were looking forward to new diffraction based instruments at neutron sources (in the UK ENGIN-X at ISIS). This must be worth reporting on and letting people know that these things are being discussed. Now I know some of the BCA IG were there - I saw you!! So come on, there are a couple of hundred of you out there - what have you attended recently and was it any use? Let us know! Forthcoming Events 2001 BCA Spring Meeting - Reading University, 7 - 10th April. Look out for details in Crystallography News and the next newsletter Another Industrial Group Forum? 16 months ago the Industrial Group held its first ever Forum in Coventry (IG Newsletter - July 1999). This was held because there was no BCA meeting due to the IUCr in Glasgow and it was felt that not too many of the IG would get to that meeting. It was held over t wo days in a hotel and the attendance and feedback suggested that it was well received. The question is should we try this again? If so when? 2001? YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED TO HELP MAKE THIS DECISION Thanks to Bruker AXS who sponsored the distribution of the paper edition of this Newsletter. Colin Small International X-ray Analysis Society (IXAS)International X-ray Analysis S ociety (IXAS ) forms in Barcelona A new type of scientific society focused on the use of X-rays, neutrons, and electrons in materials characterization has been established. This fully electronic non-profit society will have free, open membership to the world's community of X-ray analysts requiring only that they have access to the World Wide Web. The purpose of the Society is to serve professionals working in the field of materials analysis by: (a) fostering interaction among materials sci entists, chemists, physicists, geologists, and others engaged in the use of X-rays and other radiations, including neutrons and electrons, for materials analysis; (b) sponsoring meetings of interest to those in the field of materials analysis; and (c) disseminating information of interest to the materials analysis community. The Society will provide the following services to its member at no cost to them:
In addition, other activities like the development of "Best Practices" procedures for analysis, etc. will become part of the Society's work in the years to come. An international steering committee* met in conjunction with the seventh Euro pean Powder Diffraction Conference in Barcelona on May 20, 2000 and completed the formal establishment of IXAS. The society is now incorporated and the first five of the fifteen-member board of councillors has been elected. R. L. Snyder will serve as the first president with G. McCarthy as Treasurer, Peter Wobrauschek, Secretary and Hideo Toraya and Rene Van Grieken as the first two councillors at large. The Nominating Committee, composed of D. Taylor (UK), Chair, V. Buhrke (USA), H. Goebel (Germany ), H. Gohshi (Japan), and T. Huang (USA/Taiwan) will propose candidates for a vice president and four more councillors for election in August 2000 at the Denver X-ray Conference. The final four councillors and next year's vice president will be elected in the first Society-wide election in the Spring of 2001. The Society is modeled along the lines of the "dot com" web companies like Yahoo that pay for the services provided to members via advertising. This new "dot org" society will use the income from its sponsors to provide the services listed above as more traditional societies do from the dues of the membership. Officers and editors of the non-profit society will serve as volunteers as is done in traditional societies. The Membership Committee composed of M. Delgado (Venezuela), Chair, B. Holynska (Poland), and S-F. Lin (China) is to define the membership web form and establish any other procedures relating to the maintenance and use of the membership roster. A Publications Commit tee composed of P. Scardi (Italy), Chair, T. Huang (USA/Taiwan), and R. Van Grieken (Belgium) will work to establish the guidelines for the operation of the Journal of X-ray Analysis (JXA) as a fully electronic journal with free access to the world community. In addition they will work to establish the relationships with the world's analysis conferences to arrange for the publication of their abstracts and proceedings on the web, also available to all. Under these conditions the Society hopes to ele ctronically bring together the complete world community of materials characterization scientists using the techniques of X-ray, neutron and electron diffraction, spectroscopy and absorption. To qualify for membership a person must state that they are personally engaged in the use or study of X-ray neutron or electrons for analysis. The only responsibilities of membership are to vote in the annual election, which will generate the next year's membership list, and to grant permission to receive e-mail from IXAS and its sponsors. The founding sponsor of IXAS is the International Centre for Diffraction Data which provided the funds to the Denver Conference Organizing Committee to establish the International Steering Committee* which has meet once in Frankfurt and again in Barcelona to complete their task of incorporating and defining the bylaws of the Society. The EPDIC steering committee has appointed Eric Mittemeijer as a representative to the IXAS council and the IUCr's Commission on Powder Diffraction has also agreed to name a representative to council. The first version of our web site is available at www.ixas.org where the community is urged to join. Editor Newsletter Mailing list.To keep cost down and to ensure that the newsletter gets to the appropriate people it is essential that we know your correct address. Also if there is a more appropriate contact in your organisation or if you no longer require a copy please let us know by contacting any of the committee officers. If you would like an e-mail notification of the WEB posting of future IG Newsletters then send an E-mail to [email protected] - with the title SUBSCRIBE WEB NEWS Dave Taylor Free Diffractometer - from WBB TechnologyWBB Technology have r ecently bought a new diffractometer to replace their ~10 year old one which is still fully operational. It is a Philips PW1800 powder X-ray diffractometer which has a 20 position sample changer. It is available free-of-charge to any potential user who would pay all transport costs in taking it from their laboratories in Newton Abbot. Enquiries to Noel Thomas (email: [email protected]) WBB Technology, Watts Blake Bearne & Co PLC, Park House,
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