Prof. Garcia-Ruiz organized the 1st ‘International Training School on Crystallography for Space Sciences’, supported by the COSPAR, the IUCr, the INAOE and the BUAP with the participation of scientists from UNAM, NASA, ESA, the University of Groningen, the Laüe-Langevin Institute, the UVa-CSIC, the Hokkaido University, the IPGP, the Tohoku University and the McMaster University.
For 17 days the 30 MSc-/PhD-students and Post-Doc researchers that attended the School received intensive courses about Crystal Growth, Symmetry and Nucleation, Crystallography and life detection, Martian Mineralogy and Martian-analogue sites, Nucleation of Interstellar dust, Mineral Textures in meteorites, the Curiosity and Exomars missions and hands on practice on X-ray Diffraction-Software-Databases, LIBS and Raman Spectroscopy and Portable Equipment in exo-planetary mineralogy. Apart from the lectures and the laboratory work, the School included a fieldtrip in the surroundings of the Popocatépetl Volcano and several social activities, such as, the concert by the Symphonic Orchestra Esperanza Azteca, a visit to the spectacular pyramids of Teotihuacan, public talks about Exomars and the Giant Crystals of Naica, and city tours in Cholula and Puebla! The last day of the School, Prizes were given to the participants that carried out the best projects, among which to our student Electra!
Transferring the idea and the know-how to Mexico, LEC organized with INAOE and BUAP for the first time out of Spain, the “Crystallization Contest for schools”! During these two weeks of the contest the students not only learned to experiment and analyze their results, but also, prepared posters and presented in public their work. Telescopes, tablets and books about the wonderful world of Crystals were the prizes for the best teams!
¡Viva la Cristalografía
Viva Mexico!