9302588 Concus The purpose of this conference is to bring together researchers from the international scientific community who are active in geometric analysis, continuum mechanics, calculus of variations, and in nonlinear partial differential equations. All of these fields interrelate, sometimes in remarkable and surprising ways that have led to striking and unexpected discoveries with physical implications. One such discovery was verified last year in a microgravity fluid mechanics experiment carried out aboard an orbiting NASA Space Shuttle flight. This experiment and also many other such activities arose largely from the pioneering work of Prof. Robert Finn, to whom the conference is dedicated. We anticipate that the proposed conference will set the stage for new scientific advances of both mathematical and practical physical significance. An important part of our objective is to encourage graduate students to participate in the meeting; we hope thus to spark their active interest in the many new and exciting discoveries that are now being made or waiting to be made.
