2020 Gordon Research Conference and Seminar - Research at High Pressure, Holderness, NH

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Conference funding provides support for registration fees for U.S.-based post-doctoral scholars and graduate students to attend the 2020 Research at High Pressure Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar. This is one of the longest-running GRCs; the first took place in 1955. The 2020 meeting provides a forum to address the latest advances and discoveries in high pressure research, with emphasis on the ways in which the combination of theory, advanced computational methods and experiment are shaping the future of high pressure research. The conference attracts many young researchers as well as pioneers of the field. This meeting has a distinct place among high pressure conferences for its unique format that maximizes scientific discussions. One of the major goals is creating a highly interactive environment where new ideas are presented and are brainstormed by exceptionally talented young researchers and internationally recognized leaders in the field. The collegial atmosphere motivates new directions and promotes mentoring. TECHNICAL DETAILS: The 2020 meeting covers the most recent discoveries in high pressure research such as novel binary compounds under pressure (super-hydrides, He compounds, N-rich compounds, and ices in planetary interiors). These discoveries have led to remarkable achievements such as record superconducting temperatures and capacities for storage of chemical energy. An upcoming challenge of the field is to explore the stability of ternary and quaternary compounds, requiring novel experimental and computational strategies. For this reason, a novelty of the 2020 program is a prospective session focusing on first steps to tackle complexity at extreme thermodynamic conditions, and on how big-data and machine-learning based approaches may be adapted to the research strategy, both in treating the big data output of large facilities and by optimizing the exploration of the phase space of multicomponent materials. 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.