Report of Visit of Professor R.S. Berry

Professor Berry started his tour at the University of Birmingham, where he visited the School of Chemistry and the Nanoscale Physics Laboratory and talked with a number of researchers in theoretical chemistry, physical chemistry and chemical physics. On May 19th, Professor Berry presented a lecture, entitled "Wandering Home in Many Dimensions: Clusters and Proteins" in which he described how the nature of the interparticle forces in different types of clusters leads to potential energy surfaces with very different properties - with particular regard to the tendency towards the formation of glass-like or crystal-like clusters. In the second half of his talk, Professor Berry gave details of more recent work on protein folding, an area in which experience gained in his previous work on phase-transitions in clusters has afforded new insights and understanding. The talk was well attended and generated an interesting discussion session.

From Birmingham, Professor Berry's busy schedule took him to Oxford, where he gave a lecture "Topography and Topology: Linked approaches to protein folding" in the Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, on 22 May. Professor Berry also lectured in the University Chemical Laboratory, Cambridge on 24 May on the topic of protein folding. Professor Berry's final point of call was the University of Sussex (on 26 May), where he lectured on clusters and proteins in the School of Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Science, before returning to Chicago and a well-earned rest.

Professor Berry's visit was very successful and he has said that he found the trip very interesting and stimulating and hopes that it will lead to some specific substantive collaborative activities in the future.