Main event of the year 1998 was the Eighteenth European Crystallographic Meeting (ECM-18), held in Prague in August 15-20. Radek Kužel was the Scientific Secretary and a member of the Programme Committee and of the Organizing Committee. Lída Dobiášová took care for the exhibition describing the history of applications of X-rays which was opened at the occation of the ECM-18 at the National Musem in Prague. All members of our group also participated in organizing works during the conference days. There were six main topics of the Conference: A. Structure in Physics and Applied Crystallography, B. Materials Science, C. Structural Aspects in Chemistry, Chemical Crystallography, D. Structure and Function of Biological Systems, E. Advanced Methods for Structural Invetsigations, Methods of Structure Determination in Biology, F. General Crystallography and Discussion Meetings. About one thousand people from 39 countries participated at this European meeting in Prague, which is a real success of Czech crystallography. Many thanks to all who contributed and co-operated.
The second important event of the year 1998 was the registration of the Czech Republic into the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. One member of our group, Jitka Vacínová, contributed to the organization of the first set of applications from our country.
The third important news is the beginning of the work of the joint X-ray and magnetic laboratory devoted to the low-temperature studies in our section.
The research field of the X-ray laboratory is both the basic and the applied crystallography of thin films, multilayers, cermets, superconductors, nanocrystalline materials, carbon composites, solution of structures of single crystals or powder samples, investigation of diffusion processes and application of synchrotron radiation.
Most of the research is done in co-operation with other institutions to extend our technological background and experimental facilities. Main co-operating laboratories have been the Institute of Experimental and Advanced Physics at the University of Regensburg, Laboratoire de Magnétisme et Matériaux Magnétiques, CNRS Meudone, Institute for Chemical Technology of Inorganic Materials at the Vienna University of Technology, Laboratoire de Cristallographie, CNRS, Grenoble, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, Laboratory Dafne Luce in Frascati, Laboratory of Crystallography at the University of Geneva, Department of Physics at the University of Helsinki, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague and Faculty of Natural Sciences in Masaryk University in Brno.
In the field of crystallographic teaching our group is responsible for the basic lecture "Structure of Matter and Diffraction of Radiation" (3/2), with following course of special practical exercises in X-ray diffraction (0/3) and with a seminar on structure analysis (0/2). We also cover crystallographic teaching for students of biophysics, chemical physics, electronics and vacuum physics and physics of polymers. Facultative lectures "Structure of thin films and surfaces", "X-ray diffraction study of real structure of materials", "Methods of crystal structure solution", "Programming in MATLAB“ and "Review of modern analytical methods" are offered to all students of our faculty.