Blog - The Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC)

Congratulating Olga Kennard - CSD founder and winner of the 12th IUCr Ewald Prize

Suzanna Ward – Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:52:00 GMT

Last week we were delighted to learn that Dr Olga Kennard had been awarded the twelfth IUCr Ewald Prize for her invaluable pioneering contribution to the development of crystallographic databases, namely the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD).

Discovering what’s in a name at the CCDC

Suzanna Ward – Tue, 11 Aug 2015 23:00:00 GMT

A guest blog by Thom, one of CCDC’s co-funded summer students

This summer I decided to enhance (and help fund!) my Chemistry degree in Edinburgh by entering the world of crystallography for a few months, including a week’s visit to the home of the CSD in Cambridge.

My week of experience at the CCDC has opened my eyes to the tireless work and expertise which maintains and develops such an immense, and impressive, catalogue of data. The CCDC is truly a machine: its gears turning under the constant flow of deposits, while its developers work to refine the already sophisticated editorial process through the production and utilisation of immaculate pieces of software.

Revisiting Montréal

Steve Maginn – Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:26:00 GMT

This August, the 23rd IUCr Congress and General Assembly was held in Montréal, Canada. The fourth such event had taken place in Montréal back in 1957, so this was something of a revisit, bestowing the city with the honour of being the first to host the Congress twice. My attendance at the event along with Colin Groom, Pete Wood, Suzanna Ward and Paul Davie was also something of a revisit for me, as my former employers CCG, are based there, and so I had been a frequent visitor during my time working with them, and know the city well.

The IUCr Congress and General Assembly lasts for eight days – the longest conference of any with which I am familiar. All the events of the Congress were held within the Palais des Congrés de Montréal, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the Conference Banquet. The Palais is an interesting building; the bulk of which is of 1980s construction, with a more recent extension providing some shops and a large, airy foyer with a multi-coloured glass wall. At the Opening Ceremony we were entertained by two local circus performers and a local jazz band played at the Conference Banquet. Beyond the Palais des Congrés, Montréal is a vibrant, characterful city - as anyone who ventured away from the conference events will no doubt attest – and it was made doubly so during this week as many of the world’s top women tennis players were staying at the same hotel as us, next to the Palais des Congress, during the Rogers Cup tournament!

A Bumpy Ride Ahead at the CCDC

Colin Groom – Fri, 13 Jun 2014 10:57:00 GMT

Whilst the rest of the world may be gripped by World Cup fever, there’s a more local sporting drama unfolding here at the CCDC.

Everyone will be familiar with the annual Cambridge vs Oxford boat race. Since 1829 Cambridge have assailed a clear lead of 81 wins to just 78 (you may be detecting a little bias?). The crews for this race prove their worth throughout the year, including during 'The Bumps' - races between Cambridge colleges who try to catch and ‘bump’ boats starting slightly ahead. These races are not without their history- they first took place in 1827.

This year there is keen CCDC interest. As a University of Cambridge Partner Institute we have several students studying for their Ph.Ds with us and the usual bonhomie may be shattered this weekend, as two of them captain rival boats. Florian Roessler will be leading his team of elite Darwin college rowers, with Chris Radoux in charge of his exceptional Sidney Sussex boat.

The tenuous link to something more crystal-based in this blog is the relationship of atomic bumps to the conformation of rings in crystal structures; the ring conformation is generally adopted to keep the chance of atoms bumping into each other at a minimum. This gives us boats and, of course chairs, from where I’ll be enjoying the races. We could have chosen any of thousands of crystal structures to illustrate this, but this one (CCDC refcode NUXTUW) published in the Chilean Journal of Chemistry does it nicely, with the central ring of the molecule adopting a half-boat/half-chair conformation.

CCDC Student Project Wins RSC/MGMS Prize

Colin Groom – Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:48:00 GMT

Our hearty congratulations go to CCDC Ph.D. student Danny Vatvani, who was one of the three winners of the Kate Burt Prize at the recent Royal Society of Chemistry and Molecular Graphics and Modelling Society Young Modellers Forum, held in London. This is a tremendous achievement for a very bright young scientist.

Prestigious UNESCO Award for CCDC Governor

Paul Davie – Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:10:00 GMT

We were all very proud, here in Cambridge, to hear the news that CCDC Governor, Professor Reiko Kuroda of the Tokyo University of Science, is to be honoured as one of the five 2013 L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Laureates.

Stormy Weather

Paul Davie – Fri, 02 Nov 2012 14:56:00 GMT

First off, I need to introduce myself. I am the newest member of the CCDC team and its Business Director. You can see the formal stuff in my biography here, and on LinkedIn. Here’s a bit of colour: I’m a Brit who studied in Oxford and (what was then West) Berlin, I’m married to an American and we split our time between the UK and New Jersey. I’ve been involved in all aspects of computational chemistry for the best part of thirty years – and I enjoy it. So CCDC is very much a natural home for me.

Blog People

Congratulating Olga Kennard - CSD founder and winner of the 12th IUCr Ewald Prize

Discovering what’s in a name at the CCDC

Revisiting Montréal

A Bumpy Ride Ahead at the CCDC

CCDC Student Project Wins RSC/MGMS Prize

Prestigious UNESCO Award for CCDC Governor

Stormy Weather

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Blog People

Congratulating Olga Kennard - CSD founder and winner of the 12th IUCr Ewald Prize

Discovering what’s in a name at the CCDC

Revisiting Montréal

A Bumpy Ride Ahead at the CCDC

​CCDC Student Project Wins RSC/MGMS Prize

Prestigious UNESCO Award for CCDC Governor

Stormy Weather

Search Blogs

Topics

Archive

CCDC Student Project Wins RSC/MGMS Prize