2014 Midwest Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (MTSM) Conference

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PI: Nitsche, Ludwig CarlosProposal Number: CBET - 1403358Institution: University of Illinois at Chicago Title: 2014 Midwest Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (MTSM) Conference, University of Illinois at Chicago, June 3-4, 2014This grant proposal is for support of the 2014 Midwest Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (MTSM) Conference at the University of Illinois at Chicago on June 3-4, 2014. This ongoing conference (since 1988) is a regional forum for scientific presentation and exchange for 104 participants: graduate students, postdocs, young faculty and undergraduates--many of whom will be presenting at a major technical meeting for the first time. A distinctive feature of MTSM is its focus on graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. The overwhelming majority of the contributed talks are given by either graduate students or, less often, by postdoctoral fellows. In addition, undergraduate researchers will be invited to attend the meeting and present their research at a dedicated poster session. For most undergraduates, this will be their first opportunity to interact in detail with more senior researchers from other institutions. Recruitment will be facilitated by working with the Minority Affairs Committee (MAC) of AIChE along with announcements submitted to the websites of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). The student chapters of these organizations among the Big Ten Plus universities will also be contacted with a flyer. Thus, this conference represents a serious effort to recruit interest among underrepresented minorities and also serves a critical need for ?growing? the future community of researchers in one key area of the NSF IPT program.Thermodynamic and materials properties and the underlying understanding of molecular and meso-scale mechanisms retain and increase their central importance amid rapid changes in nanoengineering, biotechnology, and energy resources. While the technical program will, in significant measure, be shaped by the abstracts contributed by the various research groups attending,the organizers anticipate forming sessions around themes of (1) Phase Equilibria, (2) Molecular Simulations, (3) Thermodynamics of Advanced Materials, and (4) New Developments in Theory. Applications covered by these headings could include multi-scale modeling, interfaces and biological membranes, nanotechnology, and biotechnology and drug delivery.