The year of crystallography

Here is 2012 Chemistry Nobel Laureate Brian Kobilka speaking yesterday at the opening ceremony of the International Year of Crystallography at the UNESCO building in Paris. It's a fun but slightly strange gathering, at least in my experience - a curious mixture of science, politics, development programs, and celebration. But UNESCO has some very commendable plans for what this year will achieve, for example in terms of research initiatives in Africa. I had a comment on the IYCr in Chemistry World late last year, and Athene Donald has a nice perspective piece online at the Guardian.