Viscoelastic fluids are fluids which in addition to possessing viscous and elastic properties, also have memory. They abound in a wide range of technological applications such as molten plastics, polymer solutions, paints, and body fluids. Due to their complex microstructure, the equations describing these fluids are also very complex. Only in the recent past have fundamental analytical questions of existence, uniqueness, and qualitative behavior of solutions been systematically addressed. Many of these insights have directly contributed to successes in numerical simulations. Although great strides have been made during these years many challenges still remain.
Michael Renardy's research on the mathematical modeling of viscoelastic fluids places him at the forefront of this very important subject. He has an international reputation and possesses both a very broad view and profound knowledge of the subject. As a coauthor of the research monograph "Mathematical Theory of Viscoelasticity" (1987) and the graduate text ``An Introduction to Partial Differential Equations'' (1993), as well as numerous research articles on viscoelastic flows, he is uniquely qualified to provide an overview of the major developments in the subject during the past two decades and to indicate directions for the future to an interdisciplinary audience.
This conference is expected to stimulate interest and spur activities in research on the mathematical and computational analysis of viscoelastic fluids by bringing together both established researchers and newcomers from academia and industry.
