Course or Conference 1

BCA/CCP4 Summer School XV

Biochemistry Department and St. Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. 7th-12th September 2008.

Scope.

The BCA Summer School is a combined taught and practical course intended primarily for students and researchers new to crystallography. Its aim is to provide comprehensive training in the theory and practise of crystallography, and to promote the exchange of experience and best practise within the British crystallographic community. The meeting covers the gamut of modern crystallographic theory and practice, from lattices, through phasing, to maximum likelihood and refinement. The focus is very much on relating theory to practise. The practical aspect of the workshop takes the form of intensively supervised computer tutorials. Although CCP4 programs will primarily be used in these tutorials, the aim will be to approach crystallographic questions in a software-agnostic manner.

Eligibility.

The course is eligible to any crystallographic researcher in a British university or research institute, although a small number of overseas students may be accepted. Applicants should have started their research degree before 2008, and must provide a supporting letter or e-mail from their supervisor.

Cost.

The cost of the conference, including full board will be only 120 GBP, thanks to substantial resources allocated to bursaries, including particular support for BBSRC funded researchers.

Registration

Preliminary applications should be made online at http://www.biop.ox.ac.uk/www/noble/bcaccp4summer2008.html

The closing date for applications is 1st May 2006. Numbers are strictly limited to 45,* and historically the course has been significantly oversubscribed. Applications will be collected for a closed field selection procedure in which we will try to allocate places on the grounds of:

Geographical distribution (departments are encouraged to coordinate applications and indicate priorities if they support more than one applicant: it is unlikely that two students from a single department will be accepted).
Anticipated benefit to the student
First come first served

All applicants will be notified immediately after the selection meeting (scheduled for mid-May)

Venue.

Lectures will take place in the Biochemistry Department of Oxford University , with tutorials in the Medical Sciences Teaching Centre, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology.

Accommodation.

The course is a residential one, with accommodation provided at the nearby St. Edmund Hall, in the heart of Oxford University.

Social Programme.

We recognise that the social programme plays a regrettably large part in the perceived success of the course. There will be a conference dinner on the night of the 11th, and a number of other events, including a boat trip and a tour of the Diamond synchrotron have been arranged.