This award contributes support for a combined Gordon Research Conference on Soft Condensed Matter Physics: Bio-Soft Matter: Dynamical and Structural Complexity and Gordon Research Seminar to take place August 18 - 23, 2013, at Colby-Sawyer College, New London, New Hampshire.

The study of new materials has always been an important part of the physics of soft matter but currently it is taking center stage. A wide a range of length scales is a defining characteristic of soft matter. The resulting structural flexibility makes soft matter physics a prime discipline for the study of newly synthesized materials characterized by structural complexity. Soft matter systems also have a wide range of characteristic time scales making them a fertile ground for new materials with novel and interesting dynamical complexity. The importance of thermal fluctuations is a theme that unifies these two directions. Fundamental principles developed in soft matter physics, such as the statistical mechanics of self-assembly, are increasingly applied to biological systems. Conversely, bio-inspired approaches can be applied to construct and understand novel soft matter materials with various applications.

This Gordon Research Conference will bring together a wide range of practitioners and experts from condensed matter physics and other disciplines to assess the state-of-the-art and advance it through fruitful synergies. Recent developments in terms of new experimental data that has become available in the area of biologically inspired new materials as well as new theoretical advances make this a timely conference. A special session has been planned to highlight the connections between soft matter physics and other research communities.

The 2013 Soft Condensed Matter Gordon Research Conference will bring together an outstanding and diverse group of scientists at the forefront of research, and will make a special effort to include younger scientists and students. Specifically designed for junior participants, students and postdocs, a two-day Gordon Research Seminar will be held just before the main conference. This seminar will provide introductory lectures, and an opportunity for short talks in a peer-only environment, as well as a mentorship component. The organizers have made a strong effort to involve members of underrepresented groups among speakers and participants alike.

Project Report

This Gordon Conference focuses on the emerging properties of complex soft matter systems. We are interested in spontaneous self organization processes and the resulting physical properties of soft matter systems spanning a broad range from colloids to cell biological systems. We explore how the fundamental principles of physics that are evident in soft matter systems also can be applied in biological systems. Reciprocally, we will address how bio-inspired approaches can be applied to construct and understand novel materials for various applications. The Conference will bring together investigators who are at the cutting edge of their field, and it will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format as well as exchange ideas with leaders in the field. We see this GRC as a place to bring together soft matter and statistical physicists, biophsicists, physical chemists, and applied mathematicians. In designing the formal speakers program, emphasis was placed on current unpublished research and discussion of the future target areas in this field. There was a conscious effort to stimulate lively discussion about the key issues in the field today. Time for formal presentations was limited in the interest of group discussions. In order that more scientists could communicate their most recent results, poster presentation time was scheduled. In addition to these formal interactions, "free time" was scheduled to allow informal discussions. Such discussions are fostering new collaborations and joint efforts in the field.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Materials Research (DMR)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
1303736
Program Officer
Daryl W. Hess
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2013-08-01
Budget End
2014-07-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$10,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Gordon Research Conferences
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
West Kingston
State
RI
Country
United States
Zip Code
02892