This award supported by the Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program will provide funds for students, post docs and young faculty to attend the Gordon Research Conference on Thin Film and Crystal Growth Mechanisms to be held July 17-22, 2011 at University of New England, Biddeford, ME. This conference focuses on new developments that impact understanding of crystallization and ordering. Attendees seek to measure, understand, and control three interrelated arenas (a) fundamental interfacial processes; (b) crystalline architectures; and through the first two, (c) materials function. The program addresses each of these topics approximately in this order. The particular strength of this Gordon Conference is its emphasis on interfacial processes the mechanisms of crystal growth.
NON TECHNICAL The Gordon Research Conferences provide a unique forum to bring together experts, young scientists, and students around a particular thematic topic to disclose unpublished data, to challenge and discuss novel ideas, and to push the frontiers of science and innovation forward. New collaborations can be formed and new ideas generated that would not otherwise occur if not for these important conferences. The organizers have included 7 female and 1 Hispanic out of the 27 invited speakers and conference chairs. Also, plans to broaden participation to underrepresented groups are discussed. Students, post docs and young scientists will benefit from this conference through intellectual exchange and international participation.
The Gordon Research Conference on THIN FILM & CRYSTAL GROWTH MECHANISMS was held at the University of New England, Biddeford, Maine, July 17 – 22, 2011. The Conference was well-attended with105 participants (attendees list attached). The attendees represented the spectrum of endeavor in this field coming from academia, industry, and government laboratories, both U.S. and foreign scientists, senior researchers, young investigators, and students. Of the 105 attendees, 47 voluntarily responded to a general inquiry regarding ethnicity which appears on our registration forms. Of the 13 respondents, 21% were Minorities – 4% Hispanic, 17% Asian and 0% African American. Approximately 27% of the participants at the 2011 meeting were women. In designing the formal speakers program, emphasis was placed on current unpublished research and discussion of the future target areas in this field. There was a conscious effort to stimulate lively discussion about the key issues in the field today. Time for formal presentations was limited in the interest of group discussions. In order that more scientists could communicate their most recent results, poster presentation time was scheduled. Attached is a copy of the formal schedule and speaker program and the poster program. In addition to these formal interactions, "free time" was scheduled to allow informal discussions. Such discussions are fostering new collaborations and joint efforts in the field. Thank you for your support of this Conference. As you know, in the interest of promoting the presentation of unpublished and frontier-breaking research, Gordon Research Conferences does not permit publication of meeting proceedings.
