ACA Video Library selects my contribution

My video How to Set up Protein Crystallization Experimentshas been selected for inclusion in the American Crystallographic Association’s library. To my delight, I received a prize for this. Thank you, thank you. Spread the word about this new website resource and encourage your colleagues and friends to submit their videos as well. Here is the list of topics they are interested in. Why not send them something for their spring contest?

Advanced Methods in Macromolecular Crystallization, FEBS course 9-15 June 2024

Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

This laboratory-intensive workshop has been running for 20 years. I will be lecturing on recognizing drop phenomena (and what to do with them) as well as “Crystallization Strategies for the Desperate”. Deadline for application is 10 April. Read more here.

SEACOAST 29 Jan – 7 Feb 2024

SEACOAST is back again after a long hiatus due to Covid. The last one was in 2020.

This is a collaborative X-ray crystallography workshop between King Mongkut’s University of Technology, Thonburi (KMUTT) Thailand, and CCP4 with the possibility to collect your data at Diamond Light Source (UK). CryoEM and neutron diffraction will also be covered.

Read more and sign up before 15 Dec 2023.

https://seacoast.kmutt.ac.th/2024/

Crystallization Workshop, University of Tromsö, 4-8 December 2023

The C13 Biocat-sponsored course will be held again this year—this time in December. This is your chance to learn not only about protein crystallization, but to see the northern lights as well. The mornings are spent in lectures and followed by full afternoons of crystallization lab work.

Read more here:

https://biocat.no/activities/c13-crystallisation-of-biological-macromolecules/

C13 Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules

Venue: University of Tromsö, Norway

Dates: 29 August to 2 September 2022

This is one of the courses organized by BioCat, Norwegian Graduate School in Biocatalysis. 10 hours of lectures and 30 hours of hands-on laboratory exercises. 3 HCTS. I will be teaching on Monday and Tuesday. Register through the host university, University of Tromsö.

More information here.

Softcover version of the book is now available

Why two formats of the Third Edition? PDF books have many advantages. They can be downloaded right away and easily stored on the computer. They are searchable to some extent, although nothing replaces a well-curated index. (Yes, the third edition has such an index.)

However, research shows that deep reading is done best with printed text. The publisher International University Line offers both formats of the book so that readers can choose the one that suits them best. I hope this makes the book as accessible as possible.

The pdf is available directly from the publisher. The print version can be bought on amazon. While I am no fan of amazon, their platform is the most expedient way for the book to reach an international readership.

Third edition published Sept 2021

If writing a journal article is a like running a 10K race, editing a book is the equivalent of an ultra-marathon.

Or so it felt.

The idea to update the second edition occurred to me in November, 2019. I contacted the publisher of the first two editions and he agreed to produce a third one. So, with his enthusiasm backing me up, I started after Christmas that year.

Then came the pandemic. I almost wanted to call this book the “Journal of a Plague Year”. However that title was already taken, by Daniel Defoe in 1772.

But now, almost two years and one (still ongoing) pandemic later, the third edition is available as an e-book. A softcover version is underway.

I thank my wonderful colleagues who contributed chapters, the publisher, and the many coworkers who assisted in fact-checking, indexing, and photography.

And finally, I thank my grandson Alex, now 7, for being quiet hours on end. Due to the quarantine, he had to put up with me working from home on this book for months.