The 8th International Conference on Fundamentals of Fracture (ICFF VIII), held at the Hong Kong University, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, January 3-7, 2008

第八届国际断裂基础会议（ICFF VIII）将于2008年1月3日至7日在香港科技大学和中国广州举行。ICFF VIII将提供一个国际论坛，介绍和讨论断裂基础方面的最新科学和技术发展。ICFF VIII的总主题是在基础层面上涵盖断裂的各个方面，包括连续介质力学，物理学，化学，生物科学，冶金学，陶瓷，高分子科学等学科的贡献。将特别鼓励妇女和少数民族学生的参与。世界各地的学术和研究机构都在研究断裂的各种基本问题。随着生命科学和纳米技术的迅速发展，研究生物材料、纳米材料和纳米结构的失效行为具有重要的理论和实际意义。ICFF VIII将是一个及时的论坛，用于审查进展，研究人员之间交换意见，并为行业提供有关断裂基本原理的信息。ICFF VIII将成为美国科学家和教育工作者建立、促进和加强与亚洲同行在骨折基础领域合作的工具。这也将为年轻的研究人员提供一个广阔的视野，在他们的领域的学术活动，使他们接触到的看法和兴趣在全球研究界的多样性，并使他们能够与人分享他们的研究兴趣在世界各地的个人接触。

The Eighth International Conference on Fundamentals of Fracture (ICFF VIII) will be held 3-7 January 2008 in Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, and in Guangzhou, China. ICFF VIII will provide an international forum for presentation and discussion of the latest scientific and technological development in fundamentals of fracture. The general theme of ICFF VIII is to cover all aspects of fracture at a fundamental level, including contributions from those working in the disciplines of Continuum Mechanics, Physics, Chemistry, Bioscience, Metallurgy, Ceramics, Polymer Science, etc. The research areas are of vital interest to the United States. Participation of women and minority students will be particularly encouraged. Academic and research institutions all over the world are studying various fundamentals issues of fracture. With the rapid development of life-science and nanotechnology, research on the failure behaviors of biomaterials, nanomaterials and nanostructures is of both academic and practical significance. ICFF VIII will be a timely forum for reviewing the progress, exchanging ideas among researchers, and providing industry with information concerning fundamentals of fracture. ICFF VIII will function as a vehicle for US scientists and educators to establish, promote and strengthen collaborations in the area of fundamentals of fracture with their Asia counterparts. This will also offer young researchers a broad perspective of the scholarly activity in their area, expose them to the diversity of perceptions and interests in the global research community and allow them to make personal contact with people sharing their research interests all over the world.