In early 2003, Powder Diffraction and the Denver X-ray Conference agreed to a collaboration to publish selected articles from the proceedings of the Denver X-ray Conference, Advances in X-ray Analysis, in Powder Diffraction. This collaboration so far has led to the advance publication of 40 high-quality articles from Volumes 47 and 48 of Advances in X-ray Analysis in the March 2004 and the June 2005 issues of Powder Diffraction. The CD-ROMs of Volumes 47 and 48 of Advances in X-ray Analysis were also distributed as an insert in the March 2005 and 2006 issues to the institutional print and print∕online subscribers of Powder Diffraction. This collaboration has significantly increased services and the number of articles available to Powder Diffraction subscribers, as well as the circulation for the authors of Advances in X-ray Analysis.

Since this collaboration has been well received from the X-ray analysis community, Powder Diffraction is delighted to continue this practice and annually publish selected articles from the proceedings of the Denver X-ray Conference in the June issue of Powder Diffraction.

This issue of Powder Diffraction is dedicated to the selected high-quality articles from the 2005 Denver X-ray Conference. The 2005 Denver X-ray Conference was held in Colorado Springs, Colorado from 1–5 August 2005, and attracted over 300 registered attendees and over 200 exhibit personnel.

Conference week began with 14 tutorial workshops, held on Monday and Tuesday. Topics included: X-ray Microtomography, X-ray Optics, Rietveld Applications, Diffraction Analysis of Stress and Strain, Line Profile Analysis by the Whole Powder Pattern Fitting, Two-dimensional X-ray Diffraction, Specimen Preparation XRF, Energy Dispersive XRF, Quantitative XRF, Basic XRF, and Monte Carlo Techniques in XRF.

A plenary session on X-ray Imaging and fifteen special technical sessions filled the remaining three days of the conference. Topics for the special technical sessions included: New Developments in XRD and XRF Instrumentation, Advanced Imaging Techniques, Thin Films, X-ray Microtomography Applied to Materials Characterization, Microbeam Analysis, Industrial Applications of XRD and XRF, X-ray Optics, Detectors and Sources, Stress Analysis, Industrial Applications of XRD, Line Profile Analysis, Trace Analysis—ppm to ppb, Fusion Applications, Quantitative XRF, and Energy Dispersive Applications.

Finally I would like to thank the Editors of Advances in X-ray Analysis: John Anzelmo, Randolph Barton, Jr., Victor Buhrke, Jim Kaduk, and John Gilfrich, for selecting and editing the articles that appear in this special issue of Powder Diffraction.