The Gordon Research Conference on Composites is one of the few Gordon Research Conferences that addresses a field within the purview of materials science. The field of composite materials is highly interdisciplinary, requiring the efforts of physicists, chemists, mechanics, mathematicians and materials scientists. The conference currently focuses on nanotechnology; the Intellectual Merit can be summed up succinctly as providing a rare and unique forum for the leading researchers from these diverse backgrounds to critical review research results, establish collaborations, and foster new research directions in the nanotechnology area.
With the continued rise in energy cost, the increased utilization of composites in aerospace and automotive applications, and the projected impact of nanotechnology in the biomedical sciences research area, the broad impacts of this conference become clear. Nanotechnology integration, however, has not progressed at a discovery pace to meet the new application needs. An added benefit of this conference is the mentoring activities of early-career scientist and engineers that naturally occur at the poster sessions. The partnering that develops between the conference participants provides a framework for developing new and more efficient teaching methodologies and for integrating the research discoveries into broader programs and activities of national interest.
