Personal perspectives

Abstract

During the celebration of the International Year of Crystallography, IYCr2014, three important summits were organized in widely separated parts of the world: Karachi (Pakistan), Campinas (Brazil) and Bloemfontein (South Africa). These IUCr-UNESCO summit meetings were intended to bring together not only scientists in academia and industry from those countries but also science administrators and policy makers. The objective was to face the necessity for scientists within the crystallography realm to “think beyond political borders and other distinctions …”, which is a critical aspect to define and shape the future of crystallography. In this regard, Arbor wanted to enquire deeper into this future by asking a group of outstanding scientists, principal actors of key advances in different branches of crystallography, not only about their views on current crystallography but also on its promise to the future.