Vladimír Vand (1911–1968): Pioneer of Computational Methods in Crystallography

The Czech scholar Vladimír Vand (1911-1968) substantially enriched many areas of science, from crystallography and astrogeology to computing. His most notable contribution to computing is the invention of a mechanical computer containing approximately 1 million little steel balls rolling through many guide bars. Using this research, Vand collaborated with William Cochran and Francis Crick on the early analysis of the structure of helix molecules.