Davis Is New ACA Vice President

Members of the American Crystallographic Association have elected Raymond E. Davis to be their vice president for 2002. Davis, who took office on 1 January 2002, will become president in 2003, succeeding Charles Carter.

Davis earned his BS in chemistry from the University of Kansas in 1960 and received a PhD in physical chemistry from Yale University in 1965. After postdoc work at the Center for Crystallography Research at Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, New York, he joined the faculty in the chemistry department at the University of Texas at Austin. Currently a University Distinguished Teacher Professor in UT’s department of chemistry and biochemistry, Davis has focused his research on small molecule crystallography, including crystal engineering, packing in molecular crystals, hydrogen bonding patterns, and approximate symmetry in crystals.

“One strength of the ACA rests on the wide diversity of scientific areas in which crystallography has an impact,” says Davis. “We should continue to build on this traditional strength, keeping the level of scientific interest, excitement, and rigor high while emphasizing the multidisciplinary importance of our science.” He adds, “The ACA should continue to generate opportunities for younger colleagues to present their work orally at ACA meetings and for them to participate in the broad range of ACA activities and concerns.” Davis suggests that “the ACA must be active in education about structural aspects of the solid state at all levels, ranging from elementary school to graduate studies, but with special emphasis on training those who use crystallographic methodology in the fundamental underpinnings of our crystallographic science.”

In other ACA election results, David Rose (University of Toronto) began a three-year term in January as the new Canadian representative to the ACA council. On the continuing education committee, Marilyn M. Olmstead (University of California, Davis) started a four-year term. Elected to the data, standards, and computing committee were Helen M. Berman (Rutgers University) and Jeffrey R. Deschamps (Naval Research Laboratory) for three- and four-year terms, respectively. And on the communications committee, Kay D. Onan (Northeastern University) began her four-year term.