This Travel Grant will provide partial support for a small group of US scientists to attend the International Conference on Non-Contact Atomic Force Microscopy (ncAFM03) in Dingle, Ireland, August 31 to September 3, 2003. This conference series is the primary international venue for sharing advances in this rapidly developing technique, which enables atomic resolution investigation of both insulating and conducting surfaces. The funds will enable new US investigators to become informed about the latest progress in this exciting technique, to meet members of the international groups at the frontier of the field, and to bring back ideas for use of the technique in scientific investigations in the USA. It will promote international cooperation and more efficient use of US resources by informed researchers. The Travel Grant will enable eight graduate students or post-doctoral associates, particularly those with abstracts to present, to travel and interact with other scientists in this field, which spans virtually all physical and biological sciences.
