Participant Support for Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation: Molecular Modeling and the Materials Genome (FOMMS 2015); Welches, Oregon, on July 12-15, 2015

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

NONTECHNICAL SUMMARY This award provides partial support for the 6th triennial conference on Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation held in Welches, Oregon, near Mount Hood, on July 12 - 16, 2015. The conference brings together a diverse group of community experts from academia, government, and industry, and from overseas to promote the application of computational and data-based methods to chemical and materials sciences problems ranging from the design of new materials for energy and environmental applications to understanding how drug molecules interact with the body. Computational modeling and data-based approaches have the potential to drive innovation, reduce costs, and speed product development. The theme of the 2015 conference is "Molecular Modeling and the Materials Genome." The Materials Genome Initiative is a White House initiative with a goal to discover, design, manufacture, and deploy advanced materials twice as fast as currently possible, at a fraction of the cost. Computation and data are envisioned to play a key role in achieving this objective. NSF support enables the participation of 15 graduate students and 5 post-docs who might not otherwise be able to attend the conference. The conference provides a hands-on educational experience for graduate students and postdocs in computational and data-based methods, and their application to discovery, design, and product development. TECHNICAL SUMMARY This award provides partial support for the 6th triennial conference on Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation held in Welches, Oregon, near Mount Hood, on July 12 - 16, 2015. The conference brings together a diverse group of community experts from academia, government, and industry, and from overseas to promote the application of computational and data-based methods to chemical and materials sciences to a range of problems in science and engineering. The theme of this conference is "Molecular Modeling and the Materials Genome." The Materials Genome Initiative is a White House initiative with a goal to discover, design, manufacture, and deploy advanced materials twice as fast as currently possible, at a fraction of the cost. Computation and data are envisioned to play a key role in achieving this objective. This award enables 15 graduate students and 5 post-docs to participate in the conference, who might not otherwise be able to attend. The Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation series was initiated in 2000 to foster the application and development of molecular-based computational methods. It has a diverse cross section of participants and topics, combined with the intimacy and accessibility of a relatively small conference. The 2015 conference has no parallel sessions and consists of 18 plenary speakers, three workshops with an educational focus, and two poster sessions. The invited speakers span university and industry and include international experts. The conference facilitates meaningful interactions between senior and junior researchers, interactions that are often difficult to coordinate at larger meetings. Additionally, three hands-on workshops are held on 1) materials informatics 2) software development practices, and 3) computing on graphics processing units and advanced computing architectures. The workshops provide a hands-on educational experience for graduate students and postdocs in computational and data-based methods, and their application to discovery, design, and product development.