Workshop on Polymers in Complex Systems: Santa Fe, NM; October 18 - 21, 2009

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TECHNICAL ABSTRACT:This workshop will bring together computational scientists with theorists and experimentalists to discuss current challenges in polymers incorporated in complex environments and derive new directions that will allow the design of responsive polymer based complexes, with emphasis on the potential contributions of multi scale computational studies.The current and potential applications of polymers in compounded systems and complex fluids span a remarkable range from plastics that require well defined mechanical properties to drug delivery systems and single molecule sensors. The significance of these materials results in immense efforts that include synthesis and structure properties relations. While many experimental and theoretical aspects have been determined, one of the missing links to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the structure property relations is a simultaneous insight into hierarchal phenomena that span the large time and length scales. Computational studies can probe the rich variety of length and time scales relevant for establishing predictive models. The proposed workshop will bring together computational scientists with experimentalists whose research focuses on different aspects of polymers to derive future directions in polymer complex systems with the long term goal of deriving predictive models for structure-properties relations.NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT:The proposed workshop will directly impact the development of new materials that consist of polymer complexes. It will provide guidelines to the development of a systematic approach that brings together the input of computational studies with experimental observations to develop new materials with well defined characteristics.As part of the general contribution to broadening participation, in particular in polymer physics, a special effort will be made to integrate and highlight the contributions of underrepresented groups in the field. Each of the sessions will include at least one invited lecture by female scientists and a third of the discussion leaders will be female scientists. This representation from senior to the most junior participants may contribute toward enhancing the overall representation of women in the field.