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

近年来，出现了一个令人兴奋的新的跨学科领域，位于数学，计算机科学和统计物理学之间，广泛关注“图上的概率论”或“图上的统计力学”（或其他组合结构）的研究。 这一新的领域吸引了大量的国际兴趣，正如跨学科期刊的蓬勃发展所证明的那样，如_组合学，概率和计算_和_随机结构和算法_。非常频繁，相同的问题在组合学和统计力学中独立出现，尽管形式不同，最近的许多进展都来自于利用各种方法的交叉作用。艾萨克·牛顿数学科学研究所（剑桥大学，英国）将于2008年1月至6月举办一个为期6个月的组合数学和统计力学课程。该计划的目的是汇集图论和组合学，统计力学，概率和计算机科学，以解决似乎已经成熟的未解决的问题。进一步的目标是吸引研究生和博士后研究员，提供简短的辅导讲座，在每个领域，并提供他们与领先的研究人员密切接触。这是一个团体旅行补助金，旨在支持参与美国-研究人员的工作，特别侧重于那些可能无法获得其他资金来源来支付旅费和生活费的人：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.