The next school will be held in June 2011. The dates and fees have not been updated here yet. Applications will open in November, 2010
Intended audience and purpose of the course
The course is intended primarily for Master’s and Ph.D. students in the molecular and solid state sciences, particularly from across Europe, but applicants from other regions will be considered. The goal is that the students gain hands-on experience plus a theoretical background in the art and science of routine crystal and molecular structure determination of small molecules by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, as well as in the interpretation and presentation of results. The course will consist of lectures, computer exercises and practical work.
Elementary knowledge of general-purpose, first-year university-level chemistry and mathematical concepts is helpful. No specialized knowledge of crystallography is required, but some prior experience is useful. The course language is English and participants must be sufficiently proficient in English to be able to understand the lectures and participate in discussions without difficulty. The course is unsuitable for students interested specifically in powder diffraction techniques or macromolecular (protein) crystallography.
Read a student’s view of the 2008 School
Bring Your Own Crystals
Participants can send, before the School, their own crystals of one compound they are currently interested in. They will then have the opportunity to collect data and determine the structure of that sample, provided the crystals are of good quality and are didactically suitable for the School. At the end of the School, participants give a ten minute presentation of the results of their analysis.
Please do not bring samples or data sets already known to present difficulties in the hope that we can solve the problem for you. Experience shows that dealing with such difficult cases requires many hours or days of work, which are not available within the scope and time-frame of the School, and that students do not necessarily learn much from difficult cases. However, we hope to teach you sufficient skills for you to be able to do a good job on routine structures and to recognise difficulties requiring advice from an expert.
ECTS credit for course
The University of Zürich offers 3 ECTS points, equivalent to 90 contact hours, for the course to successful students. Receiving credit requires
- attendance during the full duration of the School (Sunday evening, August 30 through Saturday morning, September 12)
- passing a two-hour written examination on the final afternoon of the School and a positive assessment of the practical course work by the directors of the School.
Acceptance of the credit points by the student's home university must be negotiated by the students themselves on the basis of the detailed School programme, the result of their examination and the course assessment by the School directors.
