How to Propose a Workshop for the ACA 2027 Annual Meeting

Updated

The American Crystallographic Association (ACA) is inviting workshop proposals for its 2027 Annual Meeting in San Jose, California, through a call posted on its website under the heading "Share Your Expertise — Propose an ACA 2027 Workshop!" If you have a workshop idea taking shape, the association's message is direct: help shape the educational program for the meeting. The site confirms the call and its location, but the excerpt available here does not list a submission deadline, a proposal form, or required fields — so the practical first step is to locate the current call page on amercrystalassn.org and follow the instructions posted there rather than assuming a format.

What the call actually says

The homepage evidence shows only the announcement itself:

  • Heading: "Share Your Expertise — Propose an ACA 2027 Workshop!"
  • Subheading: "Have a workshop idea taking shape?"
  • Body excerpt: "Help shape the educational program for the ACA 2027 Annual Meeting in San Jose, Cali[fornia]"

That establishes three facts you can rely on: the meeting year (2027), the host city (San Jose, California), and the fact that workshops are part of the annual meeting's educational programming. Anything beyond that — session length, expected audience size, whether proposals are reviewed by a committee, or whether proposers must be ACA members — is not supported by the available page text.

Where to find the submission details

The site's navigation, as captured in the page text, includes a Meetings & Activities section with a Workshop Information entry, alongside Future Meetings, Annual Meeting, and IUCr2026 Calgary. These are the natural places to look for the full call:

  1. Open amercrystalassn.org and go to Meetings & Activities.
  2. Check Workshop Information for general guidance on how ACA workshops are organized and proposed.
  3. Check Future Meetings and the Annual Meeting pages for the 2027 San Jose meeting, where a proposal link or contact would most likely be posted.
  4. If no form is visible, use the site's contact or leadership listings (the Governance section lists Leadership Council, Committees, and SIG Leadership) to ask which committee owns workshop programming.

A realistic proposal outline

Because the site excerpt does not specify a format, treat the following as a working draft to adapt once you have the official requirements — not as the ACA's stated template. A workshop proposal for a scientific society meeting typically needs to answer:

Element What to write
Title Specific and searchable, e.g., "Practical Rietveld Refinement for New Users" rather than "Advanced Methods"
Organizers Names, affiliations, and contact details for each proposer
Topic and scope The crystallography or structural science problem the workshop addresses
Audience Expected background level and rough number of participants
Format and length Half-day or full-day, lecture-only or hands-on, software needed
Learning outcomes What attendees should be able to do afterward
Requirements Room setup, computers, licenses, or materials

The "Growing Crystals, Growing Curiosity" and "ACA Summer Institute for Structural Science" programs listed under Outreach & Education show that ACA already runs educational programming for varied audiences; framing your workshop's level relative to those efforts can help reviewers place it.

Common sticking points

  • Assuming the deadline. The available page text gives no date. Confirm it on the live call page before planning around it.
  • Proposing a talk instead of a workshop. A workshop implies active participation and learning outcomes; a proposal that reads like a symposium abstract may be redirected.
  • Ignoring logistics. Hands-on software sessions need to state computer and license requirements up front, since those affect room assignment.
  • Skipping the member question. Membership categories and a "Become a Member" path exist on the site, but the excerpt does not say whether proposers must join. Ask before assuming either way.

Bottom line

The ACA has publicly opened the door to 2027 workshop proposals for its San Jose annual meeting. Start at the Workshop Information and Annual Meeting pages on amercrystalassn.org to get the official requirements, then draft your proposal around topic, audience, format, and outcomes. If the site does not answer a question about deadlines or eligibility, contact the association through its listed governance channels rather than guessing.