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Structural Dynamics Structural Dynamics Is a New Open Access and Online-Only Journal Which Will Begin Accepting Submissions in the Fall of 2013 detecting the future PILATUS – Collect your data fast and efficiently with a noise-free detector – Hybrid Pixel Detector for superior data quality – Synchrotron-proven technology for your laboratory – Service-free systems with minimal maintenance [email protected] | www.dectris.com American Crystallographic Association Summer 2013 ACA HOME PAGE: www.amercrystalassn.org detecting the future What’s on the Cover Table of Contents - page 26 2 President’s Column News from Canada 4-5 News from Latin America 6 2014 ACA Patterson Award to John Helliwell 8 ACA Balance Sheet 9 From the Editor’s Desk Errata 10 -11 10th Anniversary of the wwPDB 12-17 ACA Living History - Jack Dunitz 18 Obituaries Harold Smith (1927-2012) John Woolcock (1956-2013) 20 ACA Corporate Members 21 New ACA / AIP Journal PILATUS 22 Book Review Let’s Keep Evolving 23 2014 ACA Etter Early Career Award to D. Borden Lacy 24-25 Net RefleXions 26 Puzzle Corner Contributors to this Issue What’s on the Cover – Collect your data fast and efficiently 27-36 Candidates for ACA Officers and Committees for 2014 with a noise-free detector 29 AIP Inside Science – Hybrid Pixel Detector for superior 38 ACA 2013 Student Award Winners data quality 39 ACA 2013 Exhibitors and Sponsors / Preview – Synchrotron-proven technology for 40 Future Meetings your laboratory Index of Advertisers – Service-free systems with minimal AIP Fellowships maintenance ACA RefleXions staff: Please address matters pertaining to ads, membeship, or use of the ACA mailing list to: Editor: Connie Rajnak [email protected] Editor: Judith L. Flippen-Anderson [email protected] Marcia J. Colquhoun, Director of Administrative Services Copy Editor: Jane Griffin [email protected] American Crystallographic Association Book Reviews: Joe Ferrara [email protected] P.O. Box 96, Ellicott Station Historian: Virginia Pett [email protected] Buffalo, NY 14205-0906 phone: 716-898-8692; fax: 716-898-8695 Puzzle Corner: Frank Fronzcek [email protected] email: [email protected] News and Awards: Chiara Pastore .. [email protected] Photographer: Peter Müller .....................................pmü[email protected] Deadlines for contributions are: February 1 (Spring), May 1 (Summer), August 1 (Fall) and November 1 (Winter) ACA RefleXions (ISSN 1058-9945) Number 2, 2013. Published four times per year in the spring, summer, fall and winter for the membership of the American Crystallographic Association, Inc., 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, New York. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ACA, P.O.Box 96, Ellicott Station, Buffalo, NY, 14205-0096. [email protected] | www.dectris.com Presidents Column / News from Canada Summer 2013 Presidents Column News from Canada In the spring issue of RefleXions, I Research Funding update: reported that Council had decided to go ahead with a joint publishing project 1. NSERC: The National Science with AIP. I am happy to inform you that and Engineering Council (NSERC) the contract with AIP has been finalized is the federal funding source for es- and the Board of Managers has been sentially all non-macromolecular formed. The AIP representatives to the crystallography as well as much of the Board are Mark Cassar and and Chris macro research. For many years the McMahon. One of the ACA representa- President of NSERC had been our own tives is Judy Flippen-Anderson who has Suzanne Fortier. She has now stepped been involved with the journal project down from that role to take over as since the idea was first proposed. The other ACA representa- Principal at McGill. During Suzanne’s tive is Soichi Wakatuski who recently moved from the Photon tenure, the NSERC funding portfolio shifted partly away from Factory in Japan to a joint appointment at SLAC and Stanford investigator-initiated basic science towards partnerships and School of Medicine. We are thrilled to have two talented and industry-matched awards. Some basic programs, such as the committed scientists represent the ACA as we take this big step RTI (Research Tools and Instruments - the main competition for forward. The next phase of the project, filling out the editorial laboratory equipment) have been eliminated (though the RTI has and advisory boards is well underway (see page 21). been resurrected on a smaller scale, following major pushback). There has also been a revision of the peer-review process for the The Strategic Planning Committee has been hard at work basic science (“Discovery”) competitions. brainstorming and preparing for the Strategic Planning meeting scheduled for the end of May at the AIP. We have been working 2. CIHR: Biomedically-related crystallography is funded by the on a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) Canadian Institutes for Health Research. CIHR is implementing analysis and a vision for the future. Fred Dylla (AIP CEO) will a major revision to their operating grants competition. Currently, guide us through the process. most of this envelope is distributed to conventional 3-5 year research programs, evaluated face-to-face by peer-review com- I am getting very excited about our annual meeting in Hawaii. mittees with various specializations (analogous to study sections). It is a great venue and gives our society another opportunity to The reformed systemwill have two main changes: provide professional growth through workshops and a stimulating scientific program. There will be workshops on Biological SAXS, a. There will be two parallel competitions. A Project Stream GSAS-II Crystallographic Analysis System, and the CSD. The will support proposals somewhat like those currently in place, Transactions I session will be a highlight as we learn about recent for 3-5 year projects with definable endpoints, based on ‘ideas’ advances in high throughput scattering technologies particularly instead of applicant track records. These are expected to average those that aim at characterizing structural changes induced through about $120K per year. A second Foundation Stream will em- chemical modification. The Transactions II session will focus phasize applicant track records and fund up to 7 years at higher on supramolecular assemblies and the role of crystallography in annual amounts. Holders of Foundation Stream grants will not studying the structures of large macromolecular complexes that be eligible to be PIs on project grants. push the limits of current approaches. The scientific program is b. Peer-review will largely be electronic. The goal is to establish full of award talks, oral presentations, and posters that span an a College of Reviewers, at least 10% of whom are international, incredibly broad set of research areas. This is a clear illustration encompassing the mandate of CIHR. Each proposal is supposed of how pervasive and important crystallography is in so many to be reviewed by (ideally) 5 people. These are not part of any diverse areas of science. committee, but are chosen individually for each proposal. The Plans are underway to develop a strategy for funding, coordinat- proposal will then be ranked into 3 groups: an upper group where ing, and keeping track of International Year of Crystallography all the reviews are positive above some threshold (these are es- activities. Martha Teeter, ACA Vice-President, is leading this sentially funded), a bottom group that is triaged, and a ‘grey area’ effort. She is forming an ad hoc committee to coordinate regional group, which will proceed to a face-to-face discussion by a high celebrations and activities as well as to provide ideas for IYCr14. level committee, with a much broader constitution than current In addition, she is working with the USNCCr to write a proposal peer-review committees. There are parallel review processes that will be submitted to NSF. proposed for each of the Streams. Finally, the ACA is a volunteer-driven organization. With the The current plan for each of the competitions is to phase this initiation of a new journal, strategic planning, IYCR14, and our new system in over the next 3-4 years. Wish us luck! annual meetings, a lot is going on. In order for us to grow and David Rose be successful in our new endeavors, we need volunteers. Please consider doing your part to help the ACA. Thanks! Cheryl Stevens 2 Discover More Molecular Structures and Interactions Nano ITC Nano DSC Protein – Protein Interactions Protein Structural Domains and Stability • Prioritize Drug Candidate Target • Excipient Influence on Molecular Stability Interactions • Stability of Biopharmaceuticals • Validate Ligand Binding to • Direct Measure of Molecular Nucleic Acid Thermodynamics • Quantify both Enthalpy and Entropy in One Titration • No labeling or immobilization required www.tainstruments.com ACA Nano Ad 2013 letter.indd 1 3/5/13 3:08 PM News from Latin America Summer 2013 CristAL – Crystallography News from Latin America it was approved to conduct the IX meeting of the AACr in Cór- With this issue of ACA RefleXions, we doba, Argentina, and to organize simultaneously the First Latin are inaugurating a section to highlight American Crystallography Meeting. This event will take place new and exciting things happening from October 29 to November 1, 2013 at Universidad Nacional
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