This award will be used to help support an international workshop to be held in Gaithersburg, MD early in 2010. The goal of the workshop is to identify and prioritize material measurement needs relevant to rapidly growing technologies. In many developing technologies, the science underpinning the needed measurement procedures does not exist. This workshop will be held under the auspices of the Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS) whose mission is to promote world trade in products that depend on advanced materials, though international collaboration that provides the technical basis for harmonization of measurement methods, codes of practice and standards. Support will be used for the travel expenses of internationally recognized experts in various fields, who would describe the scientific issues underpinning the needed measurement technology. Possible workshop topics include:
? Carbon nanotubes for electronic, sensor, and composite applications ? Photocatalytic materials ? Materials for thermoelectric applications ? Fuel cell materials ? Materials for organic photovoltaics
The results of this workshop will provide the basis for the initiation of new VAMAS projects addressing the fundamental measurements needed to achieve consensus on the performance characteristics of the devices and components being developed, as well as on the properties of the materials making up these devices. Young investigators will be invited to participate in the workshop and to play a part in the development of the required international standards. Attendance from developing economies will be encouraged as well in order to enhance international commerce in advanced technologies.
