Surface morphology and crystal shape directly affect important material properties, such as chemical and optoelectronic properties, interactions with biological systems, nanomagnetism, reactivity and stability. Hence, understanding, controlling, predicting, and exploiting shapes has become a vital field of various disciplines of materials research including chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. This symposium is the first international multidisciplinary forum on shape control. Researchers of various disciplines will be brought together to highlight recent advances in shape control and discuss their impact on the development and application of inorganic, organic, and biological materials. This symposium will also generate a rare and exciting opportunity for students to learn various aspects of shape control (theory, simulation, synthesis, and applications) from leading researchers in each field. A specific emphasis will be placed on getting the students involved in the discussions during the oral and poster sessions to maximize their interactions with senior researchers. This symposium will significantly enhance research and education activities in shape control by enabling the participants to freely exchange ideas, get useful feedback and criticism, and develop new opportunities to collaborate. %%% Shape control is a quickly growing field that has an impact on both basic science and technology as it is a key element in enhancing desired properties and stabilities of a material. Due to the intrinsically multidisciplinary nature of shape control, close interactions between scientists and engineers in various disciplines are critical to expedite the advances in this field. This symposium will be the first international interdisciplinary forum for discussing recent advances in shape control and their impact on the development and application of materials research. This symposium will also offer valuable opportunities for students to gain an integrated understanding of shape control directly from leading researchers in various fields. A specific emphasis will be placed on getting the students involved in the discussions during the oral and poster sessions to maximize their interactions with senior researchers. Exposing students to discussions on cutting-edge studies will motivate them to excel in their research and to pursue advanced degrees in a related field. Therefore, this symposium will be able to significantly enhance both research and education activities in the field of shape control.
