2019 Midwest Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics Conference (MTSM)

这笔拨款将为2019年6月2日至4日在伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校校园举行的2019年中西部热力学和统计力学（MTSM）会议提供部分支持。MTSM会议历来为热力学和统计力学的理论和实验方面的研究人员提供了一个论坛，聚集在一起，展示他们的工作和交流思想。大多数与会者将来自化学工程和化学系，尽管过去也有来自物理、材料科学、机械工程和计算机科学系的学生和教师参加过这次会议。MTSM会议的一个显著特点是它关注的是处于学术生涯早期阶段的研究人员，如本科生、研究生、博士后和初级教师。由于会议是区域性的，组织成本被控制在最低限度，教师们通常可以和他们整个小组一起去参加会议。热力学和统计力学是一个重要的研究领域，在化学、生物和自然系统中有着广泛的应用。MTSM系列会议始于1988年，吸引了来自学术机构、工业和国家实验室的参与者。大多数与会者来自美国中西部地区的机构，那里有大量从事热力学和统计力学领域工作的研究人员。MTSM会议的特点是关注学生、博士后研究人员和初级教师，提供了一个在非正式但重点突出的环境中讨论结果的机会。实验、理论和计算工作都得到了很好的体现，其应用范围从能量转换和存储、环境保护、聚合物和纳米结构的材料设计和合成，以及用于药物传递的生物分子的研究。该基金支持的会议参与者将包括约120名本科生、研究生和博士后，其中包括STEM领域未被充分代表的少数民族成员。与会者将有机会与来自其他机构的同行交流，并就热力学和统计力学领域的研究和教育的现状和未来方向交换意见。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This grant is to provide partial support for the 2019 Midwest Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (MTSM) Conference to be held on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on June 2-4, 2019. The MTSM Conference has historically provided a forum for researchers working on theoretical and experimental aspects of Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics to come together, present their work and exchange ideas. Most participants will be from chemical engineering and chemistry departments, although students and faculty from physics, materials science, mechanical engineering, and computer science departments have also participated in this conference in the past. A distinctive feature of The MTSM Conference is its focus on researchers in the early stages of their academic careers, such as undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty. Because the meetings are regional and organization costs are kept to a minimum, faculty members are often able to travel with their entire group to the meeting.Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics are an important area of research that has a wide spectrum of applications in chemical, biological and natural systems. The MTSM Conference series was started in 1988 and attracts participants from academic institutions, industry and national laboratories. Most attendees are from institutions located in the Midwest region of the US, which has a large concentration of researchers working in the field of Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics. The MTSM Conference is distinguished by a focus on students, postdoctoral researchers, and junior faculty, providing an opportunity to discuss results in an informal yet focused setting. Experimental, theoretical, and computational work is all well represented, with applications ranging from energy conversion and storage, environmental protection, materials design and synthesis of polymers and nanostructures, and investigation of biomolecules for drug delivery. The conference participants supported by this grant will be about 120 undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates including members of underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. The participants will have the opportunity to network with peers from other institutions and exchange ideas about the current status and future directions in research and education in the field of Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.