Workshop: New Frontiers of Solid Mechanics-from Earthquakes to Single Molecules; Providence, Rhode Island; June 1-3, 2011

Brown University, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

This grant provides funding to support a workshop to assess the state-of-the-art and the future development in the field of Solid Mechanics, which has played a critical role to all engineering and technology disciplines. While serving as a corner stone of many novel applications in all engineering disciplines ranging from earthquake mitigation to energy conversion/storage systems, the field of Solid Mechanics has been revolutionized in the past two decades by the emergence of experimental and computational techniques to study the properties and behaviors of solids near atomic/molecular scales. The research areas addressed in the workshop will range from the mechanics of earthquake to thin film mechanics to mechanics of soft materials to cellular and molecular biomechanics. These subjects are of vital interests to the United States. This two-day workshop will enable young faculty members and graduate students to mingle with established researchers, learning the state-of-the-art of the field, discussing topical issues and projecting the future developments. The NSF funding will be used to support the participation of young faculty members and graduate students, especially those of women and minorities origin, as well as some of the most prominent scientists in the field. This will make available to young researchers the benefits of attending a high profile workshop in the field. A poster competition award will be established to encourage graduate students to discuss their work side by side with well-established researchers in the field.