Combinatorics and Statistical Mechanics: Travel by U.S.-Based Researchers to the Newton Institute Special Program

近年来，在数学、计算机科学和统计物理之间出现了一个令人兴奋的新的跨学科领域，广泛涉及“图上的概率论”或“图上的统计力学”（或其他组合结构）的研究。这一新领域正吸引着大量的国际兴趣，例如《组合学》、《概率与计算》和《随机结构与算法》等跨学科期刊的蓬勃发展。在组合学和统计力学中，尽管以不同的形式出现，但同样的问题往往是独立出现的，最近的许多进展都来自于利用各种方法的相互作用。艾萨克·牛顿数学科学研究所（英国剑桥大学）将于2008年1月至6月举办一个为期6个月的组合学和统计力学项目。PI是这个跨学科项目的共同组织者之一。该计划的目的是汇集图论和组合学，统计力学，概率论和计算机科学领域的专业知识，以解决似乎成熟的未解决问题。进一步的目标是通过在每个领域提供简短的指导讲座，并为他们提供与主要研究人员的密切接触，吸引研究生和博士后。这是一项团体旅行补助金，旨在支持美国研究人员的参与，特别强调那些可能无法获得其他旅行和生活资金来源的人：特别是年轻研究人员、妇女、少数民族和小型学院的研究人员。

Recent years have seen the emergence of an exciting new interdisciplinary field situated in the area between mathematics, computer science and statistical physics, concerned broadly with the study of "probability theory on graphs"or "statistical mechanics on graphs" (or on other combinatorial structures). This new field is attracting a great deal of international interest, as exemplified by the flourishing of interdisciplinary journals such as _Combinatorics, Probability and Computing_ and _Random Structures and Algorithms_.Very frequently, identical problems arise independently in combinatorics and statistical mechanics, albeit in different guises, and much recent progress has come from exploiting the cross-fertilization of methods.The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (Cambridge University, UK) will be holding a 6-month program on Combinatorics and Statistical Mechanics from January-June 2008.The PI is one of the co-organizers of this interdisciplinary program.The aims of this program are to bring together expertise in the areas of graph theory and combinatorics, statistical mechanics, probability and computer science to attack unsolved problems that seem ripe for solution.A further aim is attract research students and postdoctoral fellows by providing brief tutorial lectures in each field and by offering them close contact with leading researchers.This is a group travel grant aimed at supporting the participation of U.S.-based researchers, with special emphasis on those who may not have access to alternative funding sources for their travel andsubsistence: particularly young researchers, women, minorities, and researchers based at small colleges.