This Inter-American Materials Collaboration project launches an exchange program between the University of Chicago Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) and a group of Chilean researchers at the University of Chile, University of Santiago, and University of Los Andes, Chile. The collaborative research addresses nonlinear physics problems of common interest to the researchers involved. One such problem is the study of singularities in thin elastic sheets. A second is the onset of mobility in granular materials. A third is the formation of instabilities and singularities at a fluid interface. The collaborative program incorporates visits in both directions by senior researchers, graduate students and undergraduates. It also develops improved Internet communication between the institutions.
The interaction strengthens and informs the Chicago research as well as the Chileans'. The exchange enlivens the research environment of the Chicago Center and the Chilean centers by bringing bright, well-informed and like-minded new colleagues from the other center. Finally, the exchange capitalizes on the Chicago Center's success at developing young scientists at several levels via their research. This award is supported by the Division of Materials Research, the Office of International Science and Engineering, and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
