Sine has charged the Chester office with specifying the requirements for an IYCr Co-ordinator. I find this a challenging task, since the scope of the IYCr is still very sketchily defined; but I propose to get a handle on what is required in the following way. Below I shall list a few ideas for the IYCr that I have jotted down in the last couple of days. They represent just a few of the very many ideas that we shall doubtless be asked to consider. Many of them will not be feasible or possible to implement. In each case I sketch a few ideas of what role a 'Co-ordinator' may have to play in realising the idea.
I shall also list the ideas in a 'poll', which you are invited to vote on. Please vote for any of these ideas that you think would be interesting to follow up - i.e. do not vote according to whether you think the idea is achievable (that is partly what the 'Co-ordinator' should assess), but whether it's an idea that would be good to implement if possible. That might give us a clue as to the level and type of workload to be passed on to the 'Co-ordinator'.
[Just before posting this, I discovered that one is limited to only 10 options in such a poll. So I'll post a second topic that is simply a poll of the remaining options. Oh, the frustrations of technolgy!]Note also that, at this stage, I consider the 'Co-ordinator' a central intelligence, able to overview the IYCr, liaise with the 'Director' and with participants worldwide. In the end, it need not be a salaried staff position; it could be the role performed by this Committee, or some other group of volunteers. But I suggest this is a helpful exercise in understanding what level of work may be involved. So, in no particular order:
1. A WorldWide Virtual Museum of Crystallography
- The Co-ordinator should at minimum identify museums and science centres worldwide that have dedicated collections or exhibits relating to crystallography. (Would this also include geological collections of minerals, for example?) The aim would be a portal page on the IYCr website linking to all the relevant collections worldwide. Better still would be to contact the Museum Directors and invite them to 'badge' their collections (in which case a pack of logos, banners, explanatory notes etc. should be prepared for sending to participating museums). Better yet, encourage them to develop special exhibits during the International Year and develop their own exhibitions - again, feeding back to the IYCr co-ordinator so that they can be advertised on our central website.
2. Lindau Nobel Laureates lectures
- The annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (
http://www.lindau-nobel.org/WebHome.AxCMS) include video recordings of lectures to young people by Nobel Laureates. Over the course of years there have been a number of relevance to crystallography (including an audio recording of a lecture by Lawrence Bragg). The Co-ordinator would work with the Lindau institute to organise a thematic collection of crystallography recordings, either natively on the Lindau website or embedded in a secondary website managed by the IUCr (the IYCr website or a YouTube channel). Careful negotiations would address copyright/licensing issues.
3. Online Library of classic crystallography texts
- Google Books already includes many interesting historical texts on crystallography or related areas of science. The Co-ordinator would liaise with Google to identify suitable titles and determine the best way to access these as a unified collection. Again, a portal page on the IYCr website might be the way. This could become a longer-term project, with IUCr identifying suitable additional texts for scanning by Google. The Co-ordinator might then be a bridge between Google and, say, a subcommittee of the IUCr Books Committee.
4. Dedicated 'seasons' of television programmes
- The BBC has produced a small number of documentaries and drama documentaries related to crystallography (e.g. Life Story:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093815/). TV executives might like the idea of a short season of programmes linked to one theme - it helps their scheduling and allows the broadcasting of yet more repeats! The Co-ordinator would liaise with television companies that have enough of a back catalogue to make this a feasible idea. There may also be a role in canvassing suggestions for suitable programmes (already broadcast) from the international crystallographic community, to encourage TV companies in different countries to cross-sell such programmes.
5. Timelines
- A visual representation of the history of crystallography and related sciences, perhaps set against other contemporary historical events. The Co-ordinator would identify and liaise between sources of content (the IUCr's Historical Atlas of Crystallography might be a start) and suitable graphics designers/web implementers.
6. Beevers' wireframe polyhedra
- A perennial bestseller at BCA meetings and IUCr Congresses of old, Beevers' miniature models of Edinburgh used to produce wireframe models of regular solids which were great fun to dip into soap solution to construct minimal energy surfaces. The Co-ordinator would liaise with Sheila Gould at Edinburgh to assess the feasibility of manufacturing, distributing and selling such kits as IYCr educational toys.
7. Badging crystal growing kits
- Similar in spirit to the above, there are various vendors of crystal growing kits and similar educational toys.The Co-ordinator would identify and contact manufacturers and resellers to investigate possible sponsorship or profit-sharing promotional sales.
8. Tarquin books
- Tarquin is a small English publishing house that produces educational/recreational books of relevance - cut-out polyhedra models, exercises in symmetry etc. Kate Crennell used to be associated with this in some way. Dover Books in the US may also have suitable titles. The Co-ordinator would establish contact with such publishers and investigate badging or branding the relevant titles. Again, there may be sponsorship or profit-sharing opportunities.
9. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
- The Royal Institution produces a highly regarded series of Christmas Lectures to young people, which are broadcast on national TV. Given the involvement of TV, I suspect the subjects have already been selected for years ahead. Still, a Co-ordinator could (a) lliaise with the RI to see whether a 2013 series on crystallography is possible; and (b) establish whether any of the old lecture series were about crystallography. If so, do archive fils exist, or derivative book publications that might be re-published?
10.
Voyage dans le Cristal travelling roadshow
- The Co-ordinator would determine suitable venues for other showings of the
Voyage dans le Cristal exhibition (presumably this would involve liaising with local crystallographic associations to determine who could deliver, erect and dispose of the material), and facilitate translation and production of the posters in different languages.
Sine has charged the Chester office with specifying the requirements for an IYCr Co-ordinator. I find this a challenging task, since the scope of the IYCr is still very sketchily defined; but I propose to get a handle on what is required in the following way. Below I shall list a few ideas for the IYCr that I have jotted down in the last couple of days. They represent just a few of the very many ideas that we shall doubtless be asked to consider. Many of them will not be feasible or possible to implement. In each case I sketch a few ideas of what role a 'Co-ordinator' may have to play in realising the idea.
I shall also list the ideas in a 'poll', which you are invited to vote on. Please vote for any of these ideas that you think would be interesting to follow up - i.e. do not vote according to whether you think the idea is achievable (that is partly what the 'Co-ordinator' should assess), but whether it's an idea that would be good to implement if possible. That might give us a clue as to the level and type of workload to be passed on to the 'Co-ordinator'.
[i][Just before posting this, I discovered that one is limited to only 10 options in such a poll. So I'll post a second topic that is simply a poll of the remaining options. Oh, the frustrations of technolgy!][/i]
Note also that, at this stage, I consider the 'Co-ordinator' a central intelligence, able to overview the IYCr, liaise with the 'Director' and with participants worldwide. In the end, it need not be a salaried staff position; it could be the role performed by this Committee, or some other group of volunteers. But I suggest this is a helpful exercise in understanding what level of work may be involved. So, in no particular order:
1. A WorldWide Virtual Museum of Crystallography
- The Co-ordinator should at minimum identify museums and science centres worldwide that have dedicated collections or exhibits relating to crystallography. (Would this also include geological collections of minerals, for example?) The aim would be a portal page on the IYCr website linking to all the relevant collections worldwide. Better still would be to contact the Museum Directors and invite them to 'badge' their collections (in which case a pack of logos, banners, explanatory notes etc. should be prepared for sending to participating museums). Better yet, encourage them to develop special exhibits during the International Year and develop their own exhibitions - again, feeding back to the IYCr co-ordinator so that they can be advertised on our central website.
2. Lindau Nobel Laureates lectures
- The annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (http://www.lindau-nobel.org/WebHome.AxCMS) include video recordings of lectures to young people by Nobel Laureates. Over the course of years there have been a number of relevance to crystallography (including an audio recording of a lecture by Lawrence Bragg). The Co-ordinator would work with the Lindau institute to organise a thematic collection of crystallography recordings, either natively on the Lindau website or embedded in a secondary website managed by the IUCr (the IYCr website or a YouTube channel). Careful negotiations would address copyright/licensing issues.
3. Online Library of classic crystallography texts
- Google Books already includes many interesting historical texts on crystallography or related areas of science. The Co-ordinator would liaise with Google to identify suitable titles and determine the best way to access these as a unified collection. Again, a portal page on the IYCr website might be the way. This could become a longer-term project, with IUCr identifying suitable additional texts for scanning by Google. The Co-ordinator might then be a bridge between Google and, say, a subcommittee of the IUCr Books Committee.
4. Dedicated 'seasons' of television programmes
- The BBC has produced a small number of documentaries and drama documentaries related to crystallography (e.g. Life Story: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093815/). TV executives might like the idea of a short season of programmes linked to one theme - it helps their scheduling and allows the broadcasting of yet more repeats! The Co-ordinator would liaise with television companies that have enough of a back catalogue to make this a feasible idea. There may also be a role in canvassing suggestions for suitable programmes (already broadcast) from the international crystallographic community, to encourage TV companies in different countries to cross-sell such programmes.
5. Timelines
- A visual representation of the history of crystallography and related sciences, perhaps set against other contemporary historical events. The Co-ordinator would identify and liaise between sources of content (the IUCr's Historical Atlas of Crystallography might be a start) and suitable graphics designers/web implementers.
6. Beevers' wireframe polyhedra
- A perennial bestseller at BCA meetings and IUCr Congresses of old, Beevers' miniature models of Edinburgh used to produce wireframe models of regular solids which were great fun to dip into soap solution to construct minimal energy surfaces. The Co-ordinator would liaise with Sheila Gould at Edinburgh to assess the feasibility of manufacturing, distributing and selling such kits as IYCr educational toys.
7. Badging crystal growing kits
- Similar in spirit to the above, there are various vendors of crystal growing kits and similar educational toys.The Co-ordinator would identify and contact manufacturers and resellers to investigate possible sponsorship or profit-sharing promotional sales.
8. Tarquin books
- Tarquin is a small English publishing house that produces educational/recreational books of relevance - cut-out polyhedra models, exercises in symmetry etc. Kate Crennell used to be associated with this in some way. Dover Books in the US may also have suitable titles. The Co-ordinator would establish contact with such publishers and investigate badging or branding the relevant titles. Again, there may be sponsorship or profit-sharing opportunities.
9. Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
- The Royal Institution produces a highly regarded series of Christmas Lectures to young people, which are broadcast on national TV. Given the involvement of TV, I suspect the subjects have already been selected for years ahead. Still, a Co-ordinator could (a) lliaise with the RI to see whether a 2013 series on crystallography is possible; and (b) establish whether any of the old lecture series were about crystallography. If so, do archive fils exist, or derivative book publications that might be re-published?
10. [i]Voyage dans le Cristal[/i] travelling roadshow
- The Co-ordinator would determine suitable venues for other showings of the [i]Voyage dans le Cristal[/i] exhibition (presumably this would involve liaising with local crystallographic associations to determine who could deliver, erect and dispose of the material), and facilitate translation and production of the posters in different languages.
