Crystallographers and mineralogists from eight countries gather at St Petersburg University
The 20th International Meeting on Crystal Chemistry, X-Ray Diffraction and Spectroscopy of Minerals and the 6th International Meeting on Organic Mineralogy have taken place at St Petersburg University. The conferences commemorated the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University and the 100th anniversary of the Department of Crystallography at the Institute of Earth Sciences, St Petersburg University.
During the event, participants engaged in discussions on various topics. The topics included inorganic crystal chemistry, structural mineralogy, X-ray crystallography, X-ray diffraction analysis, mineral physics and spectroscopy, diffraction and spectroscopic techniques in technological mineralogy, genetic crystal chemistry, experimental mineralogy, high-temperature and high-pressure crystal chemistry, theoretical approaches in modern mineralogy, organic mineralogy, and biomineralogy issues.
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scientists from different cities of Russia, Belarus, China, India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Canada and Italy took part in the conference.
Andrei Zolotarev, Head of the Department of Crystallography at St Petersburg University, highlighted that in 2024, both St Petersburg University and the Department of Crystallography at the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University will celebrate their anniversaries.
The meetings were organised by St Petersburg University and the Russian Mineralogical Society.
"The Department of Crystallography at St Petersburg University is a prominent scientific institution that holds a significant position in the global scientific community. The department conducts research on the synthesis and examination of various crystalline substances, structural investigations of minerals and their synthetic counterparts, studies in biomineralogy and organic mineralogy, exploration of properties and structural changes of compounds across a broad spectrum of temperatures and pressures. An additional focus lies on the identification and documentation of newly discovered minerals," stated Andrei Zolotarev, Head of the Department of Crystallography at St Petersburg University.
Andrei Zolotarev further mentioned that St Petersburg University has been actively involved in the training of young crystallographers for a century. The department members publish over 100 articles annually in peer-reviewed journals listed in the WOS CC and Scopus databases. They also consistently oversee successful defences of candidates’ and doctors’ dissertations.