2019 Crystal Growth and Assembly GRC/GRS

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

2019 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Crystal Growth and Assembly: New Paradigms in the Mechanistic Understanding of Ordered Materials Assembly, and the 2019 Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Crystal Growth and Assembly are being held at the University of New England, Biddeford, Maine, on June 23-29 and June 22-23, 2019, respectively. Our society continuously benefits from the development of a wide range of advanced materials to solve technological challenges in applications ranging from super-alloy turbine blades, solar-cells, microelectronics to new therapeutics for human diseases such as malaria. Such materials are developed by scientists with diverse backgrounds including chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering. Novel materials are often developed at the boundaries of these disciplines and the aim of the Gordon Research Conference on Crystal Growth & Assembly is to bring together leading scientists from these different backgrounds in order to stimulate cross-fertilization. In an effort to promote broader impact, the format of the meeting emphasizes interaction with and active participation of young scientists, i.e. students and post-docs, in order to educate a new generation of researchers that will have to meet future materials challenges in a changing world where (some) resources become increasingly scarce. NSF's Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program in the Division of Materials Research and the Advanced Manufacturing Program in the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation support stipends for registration fee and/or travel support for some early-career participants at this conference because of its relevance to their programmatic scope. The Crystal Growth and Assembly Gordon Research Conference and Seminar is dedicated to the knowledge and understanding of the fundamental atomic and nanoscale physics and chemistry that are central to the nucleation and growth of crystals for a wide array of technologies. Such knowledge and understanding is needed to develop advanced materials that are used in a diverse range of applications. The 2019 conference has a particular focus on the fundamental mechanisms of materials assembly with sessions that will highlight nonclassical pathways in crystal growth and assembly. This conference, with support from NSF's Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program in the Division of Materials Research and the Advanced Manufacturing Program in the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation, gathers leading scientists representing the major areas in the fields of crystallization and assembly, and brings them into contact with each other and, more importantly, with the next generation of researchers in the field to promote broader outreach within the crystal growth community. With respect to this larger goal, the meeting seeks to provide a common language for our diverse student body; to raise the comfort-level of our student/postdoc participants; and, through these efforts, to develop a tightly-woven community held together by a common interest in the principles of materials assembly. The accompanying Gordon Research Seminar that is dedicated to and organized by graduate students and post-doctoral researchers aids in the active participation of this new generation of scientists. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.