The Inaugural edition of the UWI-LAAAMP Caribbean Crystallography School will be held at crXstal, the University of West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica on 2-7 June 2025.

The Caribbean Regional X-ray Science Toward Advancement Laboratory (crXstal) was established in October 2024 in the Department of Chemistry, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica, as a regional hub dedicated to capacity building in X-ray crystallography through education and research. Its primary objectives are:

• to teach X-ray crystallography through short courses, training schools and outreach activities aimed at popularizing the technique especially among youth
• to facilitate cutting-edge research that address regional challenges and position the Caribbean as a global leader in innovation.

crXstal is presently equipped with a Bruker D8 Quest Eco single-crystal diffractometer and an Oxford Diffraction cryostat.

Facilitators

The University of West Indies | LAAAMP

Sponsors and Partners

Main sponsor: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Other sponsors: University of Bologna Global South Program | Italian Crystallographic Association (AIC)
Partners: Bruker AXS | CCDC

Endorsements

Latin American Crystallographic Association (LACA) | IUCr Commission on Structural Chemistry | George Washington University 

Topics

Symmetry in crystals. Lattices, unit cells, point groups and space groups. Diffraction of X-rays by crystals. Bragg’s Law. The reciprocal lattice and the Ewald Sphere. Systematic absences, structure factors and electron densities. Use of the International Tables for Crystallography Vol. A. Crystal growth techniques. Crystal selection and mounting. Data collection and reduction. Structure solution and refinement. Structural analysis and reporting – molecular graphics and the CIF file. Use of various software packages for structure solution, refinement and display. Structure validation and publication. The Cambridge Structural Database. Introduction to crystallography using synchrotron radiation. Examples of applications of single crystal X-ray diffraction.

The programme will include hands-on sessions on the Bruker D8 ECO Quest so students will have the opportunity to collect their own data and solve the structures. 

A voluntary, online two-day pre-course will be held one week before the start of the school. Details to be provided soon.

Lecturers 

Andrea Araya-Sibaja, LANOTEC, Costa Rica (F)
Christopher Cahill, George Washington University, USA (M)
Javier Alcides Ellena, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil (M)
Ilaria Gimondi, CCDC, UK (F)
Lucia Maini, University of Bologna, Italy (F)
Marvadeen Singh-Wilmot, University of the West Indies (F)
Leopoldo Suescun, University of Montevideo, Uruguay (M)
Serena C. Tarantino, University of Pavia, Italy (F)
Suzanna Ward, CCDC, UK (F)
Michele Zema, University of Bari, Italy (M)
Application scientist, Bruker AXS, USA, to be nominated

Tutors/Lab Assistants

Jermaine Smith (M), PhD candidate, UWI, Mona, Jamaica
Dr. Zeyar Min (M), Lecturer, UTech, Kingston, Jamaica

International Scientific Committee

Chair: Marvadeen Singh-Wilmot (F, Jamaica)
Co-Chair: Michele Zema (M, Italy)
Christopher Cahill (M, USA)
Javier Alcides Ellena (M, Brazil)
Lucia Maini (F, Italy)
Suzanna Ward (F, UK)

Organizing Committee

Marvadeen Singh-Wilmot (F, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica, Chair), Tanya Kerr (F), Mark Lawrence (M), Terry-Ann Collins Fray (F, administrator), Richard Taylor (M, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago), O’Brien Brown (M, web master), Zeyar Min (M, University of Technology, Jamaica), Avril Williams (F, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados).

The Organizing Committee of the Caribbean Crystallography School 2025 shall observe the basic policy of non-discrimination and affirms the right and freedom of scientists to associate in international scientific activity without regard to such factors as ethnic origin, religion, citizenship, language, political stance, gender, sex or age, in accordance with the Statutes of the International Council for Science. At this School no barriers will exist which would prevent the participation of bona fide scientists.