Student participants, lecturers and organisers at the Inaugural Caribbean Crystallography School hosted from June 2-7, 2025 in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, Mona.
The Caribbean Crystallography School (CCS) held its inaugural edition June 2 – 7, 2025.
The CCS is a training initiative hosted by the Caribbean Regional X-ray Science Toward Advancement Laboratory (crXstal), located in the Department of Chemistry at the University of the West Indies. crXstal is a regional hub for X-ray science and functions as an education centre, offering short courses and hands-on training, a research facility advancing solutions to regional and global challenges, and a service centre supporting industries such as mining, cement, agriculture, construction, and pharmaceuticals through structural and materials characterization.
The facility promotes X-ray crystallography as an exacting branch of structural science that is used to determine the 3D structure of materials at the atomic and molecular level. From complex biological molecules like penicillin, insulin, and SARS-CoV-2 to minerals, like CaCO3 (calcite) and rock salt (NaCl) and metals, like aluminium, copper and titanium, the electron density distribution in various crystalline materials is determined and used to establish structure-function-reactivity relationships in matter. This is crucial to the development of a myriad of STEM disciplines, including materials science and engineering, life sciences, drug discovery and pharmaceuticals. X-ray techniques are therefore essential for innovation and have been shown to advance scientific developments, industrial applications, research competitiveness, training, and education in many countries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of CCS2025, Dr. Marvadeen Singh-Wilmot, co-chair of the CCS and co-founder of crXstal, said the launch of the school will empower Caribbean scientists to tackle urgent local challenges, “from identifying bioactive compounds from indigenous plants to fighting zika or dengue, improving materials for clean water and affordable solar cells, or adding value to bauxite exports. “By combining hands-on instrumentation, rigorous quantitative analysis, and real-world problem solving, X-ray crystallography acts as a ‘training ground’ that equips students and researchers with the full spectrum of competencies a modern STEM workforce needs.”
Singh-Wilmot pointed out that for almost three decades researchers in Jamaica and other islands longed for a local X-ray lab, and that routinely, samples for structure determination had to be sent overseas. This delayed many studies and led to frustration among researchers and even students who lost interest in X-ray crystallography because of the equipment shortage. Her vision for the creation of crXstal was “energised” by Prof Michele Zema from the University of Bari in Italy, who is current chairman of Light Sources for Africa, the Americas, Asia, Middle East and Pacific (LAAAMP). With financial support from instrument manufacturers, Bruker, Deans of the FST UWI-Mona and Cave Hill campuses, the Principal’s Office UWI-Mona, LAAAMP, Prof. Sekazi Mtingwa, CSD’s FAIRE grant, the RSC, Juici Beef Limited, UNESCO’s Participation Programme, CAS Jamaica and the University of Bologna’s Global South Fund, crXstal, was officially opened on October 3, 2024 with goals which include “to build regional X-ray crystallography capacity, stimulate research, popularise crystallography and cultivate a collaborative Caribbean network of users.”
Said Singh-Wilmot: “The CCS is one of the main mechanisms for achieving these goals and I am eternally gratefully for the overwhelming support from the local and international community, especially our main sponsor, the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency], who has made this crucial regional capacity building intervention possible. Thanks to the PIOJ for endorsing this event under Jamaica’s Country Programme Framework (CPF) and to all other sponsors and supporters of the CCS. Thanks also to the solution-oriented organising team whose dedication and commitment to excellence made this all possible.”
Professor Michael Taylor, dean at the Faculty of Science and Technology, in his message at the opening ceremony, said the hosting of the inaugural Caribbean Crystallography School at The University of the West Indies, Mona, marked a significant milestone “not just for our campus, but for the Caribbean region as a whole. “The establishment of a dedicated crystallography school in the Caribbean affirms the region’s readiness as a serious player in cutting-edge scientific research. It sends a clear signal that we are not just consumers of knowledge, but creators and contributors. This school represents the power of vision, collaboration, and network-building, bringing together international experts, regional institutions, and local talent in a shared commitment to scientific advancement,” said Professor Taylor.
Principal and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies Mona Campus, Professor Densil Williams proudly announced the CCS as a “game changer” in Jamaica and the region and emphasized that it was crucial to the alignment agenda which forms a part of the UWI’s Triple A strategy. “What this school will do is to now take this scholarship and provide real solutions to issues that we have been debating and discussing for a long time.”
Dr. Donna Minott-Kates, Head of the Department of Chemistry welcomed the partnerships that the CCS has brought to the UWI, in particular with the International Union of Crystallography and LAAAMP. This was supported by Professor Michele Zema who said the opening of the school represents a milestone toward the building of a regional community and developing international collaborations.