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Industrial Group of the BCA
July 1998 NewsletterContents
EditorialThis Newsletter sees the early departure of Dave Taylor and the arrival of Steve Norval as Chairman of the Industrial Group. Their reports are presented inside, but Dave's early retirement and Steve's comments underline the uncertainty of modern British Industry. Change is inevitable, but the rate and direction o f current practices make for a somewhat uncertain future. However, we have had a successful series of meetings, including a very wet St Andrews! The venue limited the number of Industrial Users, but it proved lively and informative, with an exemplary Scottish welcome. Mea culpa: the curse of the Grauniad struck the last Newsletter, and I must apologise to Jeremy Cockroft for translating him to Imperial - he still, of course, resides at Birkbeck. Thanks are due to Philips, Bruker and Raychem Ltd for their financial support in producing and mailing this newsletter. We are open for other manufacturers’ support, offering the chance of targeting in excess of 400 industrial users! Camera Techniques:We present the Wallace Ward camera: see article Cold rolled nickel sheet
Chairman's MessageIt is with some trepidation that I take the IG Chairman's seat and try to follow Dave Taylor's lead from the last two years. Dave has given an excellent account of recent developments in his annual Chairman's Report. I do not intend to cover the same ground but will confine myself to a few introductory observations. You may have noticed that we live in times of rapid change and the working lives of industrial crystallographers present few exceptions to this rule. Many IG members work in situations demanding absolute focus on business interests with an insistence on relevance and value from the rare occasions when noses are lifted from the corporate grindstone, to be indulged by meeting with other scientists (BCA meetings and the like). We have also seen major changes in the industries that have supported our activities. Many industries represented by the original IG members are in severe decline, but other industries with new crysta llographic interests are emerging to take their place. It is good to have a strong representation from this new generation in the group. Meanwhile, the sophistication and potential of laboratory x-ray diffraction has progressed beyond the wildest imaginings of our founding fathers. It is against this background that we owe a debt of gratitude to Dave Taylor for steering and growing the group during times that could so easily have seen us at a low ebb. I hope that you all enjoy taking part i n IG meetings. But I am also confident that most members will be able to convince their management of the value provided to them by our various meetings, workshops and courses. For the remainder of this year, we will be developing IG activities with the Residual Stress Workshop and the Autumn Meeting. Next year will see further change for us. The IUCr Congress at Glasgow will dominate the conference and meetings interests of many crystallographers during 1999. However, the absence of the u sual BCA Spring Meeting provides this Group with a unique opportunity to try something different. We hope you will like our proposals and that you will be able to persuade others of the hard-nosed value that you will gain by coming along in April. That is what your committee is seeking to provide. Please let us know if you have concerns or suggestions that will help us to achieve our goal. I, for one, am looking forward to an interesting year and to working with an excellent committee in achieving i t. Steve Norval Planned Pharmacy meeting in 1999September 27 - 29, 1999Pharmaceutical Powder X-ray Diffraction Symposium, PENNSYLVANIA, USA[Dr. Angeline Zakrzewski, ICDD, 12 Campus Blvd, Newtown Square, PA 19073, USA fax: 1 610 325 9823 email: [email protected] ] |
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