2018 Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions: The Science and Application of Soft Materials in Hard(er) Environments

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports travel for early career scientists to attend a technical conference. The conference is titled "2018 Gordon Research Conference and Seminar on Colloidal, Macromolecular, and Polyelectrolyte Solutions: Soft materials meet hard materials: Properties, processing, and applications". It will bring together roughly 200 leading scientists in Ventura, CA to discuss new research on soft materials. Soft materials include coatings, biofilms, food, and plastics. The conference will focus on applications related to biopharmaceuticals, advanced aerospace materials, energy production, and consumer products. The conference has a strong track record of professional development for young scientists, and is preceded by a seminar that will provide multiple opportunities for networking, discussions, and mentoring. The conference, which is held every other year, has a strong interdisciplinary tradition and will include physicists, materials scientists, chemical and mechanical engineers, and chemists. The focus of this conference is on the interface between soft and hard materials, and the science and technology of how soft and hard materials meet and function together. The topic was chosen because of the rapid scientific advances in the area and the area's translational potential. Examples include the adhesion of biofilms, the durability of coatings, and the sensory properties of food. Sessions will explore emergent themes from applications, friction and adhesion in dispersed systems, bonding and fracturing, toughening polymers and colloids, bacteria on hard and soft surfaces, and processing colloidal, macromolecular, and polyelectrolyte solutions. The Gordon Research Seminar will include presentations by leading scientists on early career development, poster sessions for student researchers, and informal opportunities for students to meet peers and network with leaders in the field. There will be small group mentoring sessions, including round table discussions of roughly a dozen students each, and covering topics including technical writing, public oration, and beginning and sustaining a career in entrepreneurship.