The investigator will hold a conference, jointly organized and funded between the US National Science Foundation and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation- DFG). The conference will focus on the sustainable use of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for novel engineering solutions. The conference includes 60 scholars (30 each from the US and Germany), whose work is at the cutting edge of nanoscience and nanotechnology research. Scholars include senior and junior researchers representing a broad range of universities.
The conference is intended to be the starting point for joint research activities between researchers from academia, industry and national laboratories in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The conference aims at a strong cross-disciplinary approach by taking into account the availability of materials resources and new design opportunities inherent to the use of nanomaterials and their development for novel engineering solutions. The objective is to explore the advances in several research communities with regard to such questions, and to bring these communities together across disciplinary boundaries.
The conference format including special one-hour panel discussions after every session is designed to enhance cross-disciplinary exchange and open dialogue and debate between the research communities. All participants will present in a single room, so as to stimulate maximum cross-talk and exchange of ideas between the participants. The conference also includes a poster session that provides a venue for presentation of original research by Junior scholars.
Broader impacts include the development of cross-disciplinary research initiatives, dissemination of graduate student and post-doc research, and enhancement of US/Germany collaborative research possibilities.
