The Gordon Research Conference Tribology: Coupled Challenges at the Moving Interface; Bentley University; Waltham, Massachusetts; 25-28 July 2014

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

This award is for partial support of the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Tribology, to be held 25-28 July 2014 at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Tribology - the study of friction, lubrication, and wear - is essential to technological applications with moving parts, from large machineries and cars, to medical implants, to micro-mechanical mirrors in projectors. Regular meetings of the key researchers in this field are necessary for the exchange of ideas, information, and state-of-the-art technologies, in order to enable and accelerate advances and breakthroughs the field. The Gordon Conference is a key mechanism for linking the basic sciences with an engineering discipline of significant importance to the US and world economies. This GRC is held biannually and offers an interesting, even unique, forum for the open exchange of new and previously unpublished scientific ideas. In addition to poster presentations, the conference includes presentations and extended discussion and interactions among participants. This forum has been responsible for the generation and incubation of breakthrough and truly transformative ideas in a wide variety of topical areas. An important aspect of the 2014 conference is the addition of the Gordon Research Seminar, which is a forum for students and early-career researchers to exchange ideas in an informal but dynamic setting. NSF support of this GRC will enable the participation of junior participants, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career faculty members, funding a total of 27 participants (12 for the Gordon Research Conference and 15 for the Gordon Research Seminar), and 15 travel grants for the Gordon Research Seminar.