We were pleased to host Dr. Oleg Prymak and PhD student Kateryna Loza, members of Dr. Matthias Epple’s Inorganic Chemistry group in Essen. Dr. Epple’s group specializes in biomaterials, biomineralization, and in-vitro/in-vivo testing. The collaboration is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD-PPP), designed to help catalyze scientific exchange between the US and Germany. During their one week visit to Columbia, Oleg and Kateryna learned the basics of PDF analysis and began refining data collected for Ag-Au alloyed nanoparticles synthesized in their lab; with PDF measurements completed at the NSLS (X17a). A goal for the project is to understand how nanoparticle local structure influences their dissolution in biological media, and finally, how this local structure plays an important role in cellular uptake and response. We thank Oleg and Kateryna for their visit!