It is with great sadness that the ACA shares the passing of longtime ACA member Dr. Ian David Brown, who died peacefully on June 29, 2026, at the age of 94. Known simply as David to his friends and colleagues, he leaves behind an extraordinary legacy that has shaped the field of crystallography for generations.
The American Crystallographic Association is pleased to recognize its newest class of ACA Fellows. Election as an ACA Fellow is one of the Association's highest honors and recognizes members whose contributions to the advancement of crystallography or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished. Fellows may be recognized for excellence in research, teaching, technological innovation, service to professional societies, leadership in academia, industry, or government, or for outstanding efforts in communicating science to broader audiences.
The American Crystallographic Association (ACA) is pleased to announce the recipients of three of its highest honors for 2027. These awards recognize outstanding achievements in crystallographic research, structural science, and diffraction physics, as well as the individuals whose work continues to advance our understanding of the structure of matter.
One of the ACA’s most important responsibilities is ensuring that our Annual Meetings provide outstanding scientific experiences while remaining financially sustainable, accessible, and engaging for members. After an extensive site selection process spanning several years, we are delighted to announce the locations of the ACA Annual Meetings through 2029:
For more than fifteen years, ACA members have looked forward to one of the Association’s most unique and engaging traditions: the ACA Puzzle.
It is a tremendous honor to serve as the new President of the American Crystallographic Association. I look forward to working with our outstanding community and continuing the ACA’s tradition of scientific excellence, collaboration, and collegiality.
Each quarter, we highlight a new collection of book reviews exploring a wide variety of topics and perspectives. Whether informative, thought-provoking, or simply enjoyable, these selections reflect the broad interests of our community and may inspire your next great read.
The ACA Newsletter, a.k.a. RefleXions, is a mainstay of communications in the structural sciences community and holds a special place among social media platforms and other background noise. It has evolved since its inception by the esteemed Dr. Jenny Glusker in the 1960’s, including moving from print editions to a digital only format. The latter was spearheaded by previous editor Dr. Paul Swepston and is noted to have saved the society large sums by circumventing printing and mailing charges.
Each quarter, we feature a new collection of book reviews covering a wide range of topics—some thought-provoking, some purely for enjoyment, and all well worth your time. This small but mighty selection is designed to spark curiosity and may even inspire your next visit to the library or bookstore. We are grateful to Jeanette S. Ferrara, MFA, who contributed all of this quarter’s reviews.
And just like that, we are at the start of December, and I’m writing my last President’s Column for RefleXions. I find it hard to believe how quickly the year went by. It has been an honour to serve you all as President during our 75th Anniversary year. This year has been one of ups and downs, challenges and opportunities, and was highlighted by our Annual Meeting in Lombard.
The American Crystallographic Association is pleased to share news from our publishing partnership with AIP Publishing: Structural Dynamics is entering a new chapter with the appointment of Mark Wilson as Editor-in-Chief.
Earlier this month, the American Crystallographic Association convened Special Interest Group (SIG) officers, new leaders, and members of Council for a focused discussion on the future of SIG engagement and the long-term strength of the Association.
I recently had the opportunity to attend the 7th Latin American Crystallographic Association and 27th Brazilian Crystallographic Association (LACA-ABCr 2025), which was held between October 14-17, 2025, in Fortaleza, Brazil. I was looking forward to this meeting for some time and learning more of research across the structural sciences community in the broader Americas.
Applications for the 2026 ACA Summer Course will open in December 2025, and we encourage anyone passionate about crystallography to apply.
We are pleased to share that the American Crystallographic Association (ACA) has been invited to participate in a new national initiative — REV UP, led by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and funded by the AIP Venture Fund.
We wanted to share a quick update about our presence on the platform X. While the ACA account will remain available, it won’t be actively monitored moving forward. Over the past year, many in the scientific community have moved away from X, and we’ve seen engagement there drop off significantly. Because of this, it’s no longer the best place for us to connect with you.
The beginning of September is always something I look forward to. While it is a soft goodbye to summer, sitting under a tree on a warm fall afternoon with the leaves changing colors and reading something interesting has been something I’ve enjoyed for many years. Perhaps it will be the e-version of RefleXions for me this year :). And of course, for those of us in the academic sector, it is the start of the new fall academic term, with our campuses abuzz with new and returning students. I wish you all the best on the start of autumn, a new semester, and new or ongoing scientific pursuits.
We’re pleased to announce the American Association to Advance Powder Diffraction (AAAPD), a grassroots organization that was formed to be a voice for the powder diffraction community to ensure a bright future for this field.
The crystallographic community mourns the loss of Dr. Benno P. Schoenborn, who passed away on September 23, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona.
