TECHNICAL: The Materials Structure - Nabarro Legacy (Symposium Z) will be held at the 2008 spring meeting of the Materials Research Society in San Francisco, CA from March 24-28, 2008. This symposium focuses on the impact of Professor Frank Nabarro's work over the last 66 years on modern-day materials science and engineering. The symposium will be a comprehensive meeting bringing together standing exponents in the field and the 'materials science youth' focusing on how the heritage and legacy of Professor F. R. N. Nabarro affects the advancement of technology in manifold ways. The organizers have chosen invited speakers whose research activities reflect the multidisciplinary and international nature of the field. The intent of the symposium is to provide researchers from academics, government and industrial laboratories an interdisciplinary forum for interaction, discussion and exchange of ideas on recent fundamental advances in understanding materials microstructures and the resulting impact on the development and application of advanced materials. NON-TECHNICAL: PIs believe that being able to partially support travel and to cover the costs of attending the meeting will allow a wider, more representative population to attend and participate in the symposium and eventually, to strengthen representation in the area of materials science and engineering. PIs will in particular, attempt to encourage research groups across the country to support undergraduate participation in the poster sessions, as a means of exposing students to a high level of research at an early stage of their educational experience, and through these means, enhance accessibility to research. The Materials Research Society (MRS) is an interdisciplinary professional organization dedicated to the promotion of 1) research on materials properties and performance, and 2) interaction among researchers in the universities, government laboratories, and industrial laboratories.
