This grant provides funding to support a group of US scientists, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students to attend the 8th International Workshop on Piezoresponse Force Microscopy and Nanoscale Electromechanics of Polar Materials, to be held at University of Science and Technology Beijing, China, on August 25-27, 2010. Coupling between electrical and mechanical phenomena is ubiquitous in nature and underpins the functionality of materials and systems as diversified as ferroelectrics and multiferroics, electroactive molecules, and biological systems. The development of piezoresponse force microscopy in the last decade has led to rapid advances in the investigation of electromechanics with unprecedented resolution, and this workshop aims to provide in-depth discussions on piezoresponse force microscopy, nanoscale electromechanics, and their applications in functional materials and biological systems. The grant will support five leading scientists and 10 postdoctoral scholars and graduate students from US to participate the workshop, and the support for postdoctoral scholars and graduate students will be awarded based on their research abstract, short CV, and recommendation letter.
The travel support will enable US scientists, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students to participate the workshop in an international setting. They will share and learn the state of art and challenges in piezoresponse force microscopy and nanoscale electromechanics through invited lectures, poster sessions, and laboratory demonstrations. They will also have ample opportunities to interact with scientists and students from other countries, which will facilitate future international collaborations. Such experience will be invaluable for developing the skills of a group of highly talented postdoctoral scholars and graduate students who will be the next generation of industry professionals and academics.
, held in University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China, on August 25th-27th, 2010. The workshop is a leading scientific forum in the field with over 150 participants from North America, Europe, and Asia. The senior scientists and postdoctoral scholar from US made invited lectures in the workshop, and the graduate students made poster presentations. The grant helped US participants to exchange ideas and interact with other scientists and students in international setting, promoting their work, and fostering international collaborations. It is particularly beneficial for graduate students and postdoctoral scholar, who not only grained valuable international experience that will help enhancing their global competitiveness, but also got the opportunities to attend lectures by leading scientists in the field, participate the laboratory demonstration and hand-on activities organized by leading atomic force microscope manufacturers in industry, and interact with senior scientists, industrial personnel, and their peers. The US participants came from a variety of institutions and organizations, including Pennsylvania State University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Washington, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, Asylum Research, Veeco, and Radiant Technology.
