The International Year of Crystallography 2014 (IYCr 2014) highlights the continuing importance of crystallography. It celebrates the centennial of X-ray diffraction. William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg showed that diffracted X-rays can be used to map the positions of atoms within a crystal. This allowed the detailed study of crystalline material.

Additionally, the IYCr 2014 commemorates the 400th anniversary of Kepler’s first studies which lead in 1611 to the observation of the symmetrical form of ice crystals. This was the beginning of the wider study of the role of symmetry in matter.

• Official Webpage: International Year of Crystallography (IYCr 2014)
• Opening Ceremony of the IYCr2014, 20 January 2014 to 21 January 2014, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France
• Interview with the President of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr), Professor Gautam Desiraju
  Gautam Desiraju: Follow Your Convictions,
  ChemistryViews Mag. 2014.
  DOI: 10.1002/chemv.201300117