X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis at the ICDD Those of you who have been following the continuing saga of my comments on the future of the Denver X-Ray Conference should be interested to know the latest developments. I have recently returned from the meeting to plan the program for the 1997 Conference, which meeting also functions for planning the following yearÏs Conference (in this case 1998). On this momentous occasion, so deÐned because 1997 is the last year that the University of Denver will be a major sponsor of the Conference, the planning for 1998 encompassed much input from the International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD).
As some of you are aware, the Denver X-Ray Conference will continue, in much the same format as it has over its entire life of 46 years ; the major di †erence will be that the administrative duties will reside at the ICDD instead of the University of Denver. SigniÐcant concern has been voiced regarding the status of x-ray Ñuorescence (XRF) at these meetings, in view of the preponderance of x-ray di †raction (XRD) in the interests of the ICDD (and the word "di †ractionÏ in the name of the organization). I would hope that I can put that concern to rest with the following information.
First of all, many of you should be aware that the ICDD has conducted an annual XRF Clinic for some years, having taken over that function at the demise of the "AlbanyÏ Clinics. This will continue for the foreseeable future. However, perhaps of more importance to those concerned for the Denver Conference, the ICDD has established a new "Subcommittee on XRFÏ to insure that this part of the Conference maintains its equality with XRD that has been traditional over all these years. Further, it has been established that the present Denver X-Ray Conference Organizing Committee (DXCOC, with Ron Jenkins as Chairman and Paul Predecki continuing as a member, at least for some time) will continue to have a primary inÑuence on the make-up of the program and the logistics that make it possible. While the administrative responsibility will be located in Pennsylvania, it is intended that the venue for the Conference will continue to be located in Colorado. In 1998, for example, the location will be the Antlers Doubletree Hotel in Colorado Springs.
In view of these developments, any consideration of the formation of an X-Ray Analysis Society has been put o † to the future, while the impact of the upcoming arrangement with the ICDD is being evaluated. Since this discourse can be considered editorial in nature, I feel free to say that, in my opinion as a member of the DXCOC and as an attendee at most of the Conferences over the last 40 years, I expect that the union of the Conference with the ICDD will be a fruitful one for both. It will be interesting to observe how the Conference fares under this arrangement, and how the ICDD beneÐts from the diversity introduced by its expressed interest in the XRF community.