Conference Proposal to Support US Participation in ICMMES-2010

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AbstractThe creation of the the International Conference for Mesoscopic Methods in Engineering and Science (ICMMES) series is a direct response to the growing interest in multi-scale and multi-physics phenomena observed in nano- or micro-systems and biological systems, and the increasing importance of computational science to research in all disciplines, especially to the aforementioned areas. The focus of the ICMMES conference series is mesoscopic/ kinetic methods (e.g., lattice Boltzmann equation, lattice gas cellular automata, discrete velocity models, gas-kinetic schemes, dissipative particle dynamics, smoothed particle hydrodynamics, and various hybrid methods) for computational mechanics in its broadest sense. Specific areas of interest include, but are not limited to, mesoscopic/kinetic methods applied to: computational fluid dynamics, rheology of complex fluids and soft matter, multi-scale/multi-physics phenomena in macro-, nano- or micro-systems, thermo-chemically nonequilibrium systems, chemical reactive flows, new algorithms, and special computer hardware.The funding from NSF will be used in support of students, post-doctoral researchers, and junior faculty from US institutions actively participate in ICMMES. Special consideration is given to under-represented minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and those in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).The objectives of the ICMMES Conferences are as follows: (1) To bring together researchers from academia, government labs., and industry to exchange and disseminate up-to-date information, and explore new opportunities in the field; (2) To expose young and new researchers to the state-of-the-art in the field by means of short courses and interactions with renowned experts in the field; and (3) To actively encourage underrepresented minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and students in HBCUs to explore frontier of research by attending the ICMMES Conferences. Although the United States played a key role in the early development of mesoscopic methods, its strength has been weakening throughout the past decade due to lack of funding, while European and Asian countries have significantly increased their funding level in the field. The relative weakness of the US is indicated by the fact that a small and decreasing percentage of papers published in peer reviewed journals are by US authors. Given the scientific importance of mesoscopic methods, it is urgent and imperative for the US to increase funding support for research in the field. The objective of this proposal is to seek NSF support to increase US participation in ICMMES Conferences and to strengthen the US position in this fast-growing research field.The main intellectual merit of this proposal is that it seeks to expose new or young US scientists to research frontiers in an important and rapidly growing field through active participation in ICMMES Conferences, which constitute an ideal environment for encouraging dialog and inquiry.Broader impact of this proposal includes improving networking between US and international researchers; disseminating up-to-date information to the scientific community at large through conferences, short courses, proceedings, and internet ; helping create a more inclusive and diverse community for young scientists; fostering a synergy among researchers from different disciplines and institutions; and strengthening the US position in a fast-growing field of research. We note that NSF support is particularly crucial to young scientists in the early stage of their careers, most of whom cannot afford to attend international conferences without external funding support.