TECHNICAL: This grant will partially support the 2008 Gordon Research Conference on Electrodeposition. The conference will be held on July 27-Aug 1, 2008 at Colby Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire. The conference will focus on cutting edge topics at the intersection of electrochemistry and materials science. Detailed lectures and in-depth discussions will occur on nucleation and growth, and stress effects in thin film growth, the making of metal/molecule contacts for molecular electronics, the exploration of materials relevant to energy conversion processes as well as new methods and avenues for electrochemical processing. Close attention will also be given to emerging applications and technical opportunities associated with electrochemical processing. NON-TECHNICAL: The meeting will bring together material scientists, electrochemists, solid-state physicists and surface scientists to explore important questions relevant to materials synthesis and characterization of growth related processes at immersed electrode/electrolyte interfaces. The conference will promote education and the pursuit of research relevant to the process of electrodeposition that plays a central role in several emerging applications in microelectronics (ULSI and 3-D systems) and microelectromechanical (MEMS) systems. The meeting will provide a premier forum for encouraging interactions and collaborations that transcend national borders. Indeed, the Electrodeposition GRC is rapidly becoming known as the "Conference" on the subject. In addition to the formal lectures, all attendees, and students in particular, will be encouraged to present posters. This activity will be organized into four focused sessions that represent a core element of the conference. The meeting will thereby foster student development as well as international exchange among a wide range scientist whose interests span several distinct disciplines. Every available mechanism will be made to expand the participation of woman, racial and ethnic minorities and other individuals who have traditionally been under-represented in this field. The conference will be advertised broadly by the GRC organization with a more focused advertising campaign by the Chair and Vice Chair aimed at the materials and electrochemical research community as represented at universities around the world and several professional organizations such as the Materials Research Society, The Electrochemical Society and The International Society of Electrochemistry.
