US-Middle East Materials Planning Meeting and Workshop

正在计划于2002年在中东举办一系列国际材料讲习班中的第六次讲习班。美国-中东材料研讨会是一个致力于材料研究、教育和技术的国际研讨会。讲习班的目标是通过全体会议和分组讨论详细阐明中东的主要材料科学问题；通过建立“世界材料网”进一步发展合作；并加强参与者与同事之间的关系。为此，组委会计划邀请20多名美国人、40多名中东人、15多名各国政府官员参加。美国国家科学基金会以前在北美自由贸易协定国家、欧洲、拉丁美洲、亚洲和非洲主办的材料研讨会一直表达了建立一个材料世界网络的愿望，通过向世界各地的材料科学家和工程师提供访问综合数据库和合作研究和教育计划的途径，将他们联系起来。有证据支持这一结论，即世界网络在中东的研究人员中也是可取的。研讨会的主要组织者西北大学教授R.P.H. Chang将与共同组织者美国的Albert Narath博士以及由埃及、约旦、土耳其、以色列和其他阿拉伯国家组成的组织委员会（OC）一起工作。这些政党将于2001年年底在土耳其举行规划会议。在两天的时间里，该小组将为明年举行的研讨会确定合适的地点、时间、演讲者、主题和议程。计划会议将成为明年组织委员会成员之间对话的开始。计划的高潮将是2002年的研讨会，重点是材料研究、教育和计划会议参与者将确定的专业主题。以前NSF共同主办的国际研讨会涉及北美自由贸易协定国家（1995年），欧洲国家（1996年），泛美国家（1998年），亚太国家（1998年）和非洲（2000年）。所有这些研讨会都有一个共同的目标，即在广泛的材料研究领域促进更大的国际合作和协作。可能对该地区很重要的主题包括腐蚀、薄膜、混凝土、矿物、石油和天然气以及聚合物。与会者将被要求在每个领域提出建议，并特别关注虚拟研究所的发展，作为进一步合作的工具。美国-中东材料研讨会由材料研究司、多学科事务办公室、国际司、化学司和化学与运输系统司共同支持。

The sixth workshop in a series of international materials workshops is being planned for the Middle East in 2002. The U.S.-Middle East Materials Workshop is an international workshop dedicated to materials research, education, and technology. The goals of the workshop are to clarify in detail the major materials science issues in the Middle East through plenary sessions and breakout group discussions; further the development of collaboration via the establishment of a Materials World Net; and strengthen the relationships between the participants and their colleagues. To these ends, the organizing committee plans to invite approximately 20 participants from the U.S., 40 from the Middle East, and 15 government officials from various countries. Previous NSF sponsored materials workshops held in the NAFTA countries, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa have consistently expressed the desire to establish a Materials World Net, which would link materials scientists and engineers around the world by providing them with access to comprehensive databases and collaborative research and education programs.There is evidence to support the conclusion that the World Net is also desirable among researchers in the Middle East. The principal organizer (PI) of the workshop, Professor R.P.H. Chang at Northwestern University, will work together with the co-organizer Dr. Albert Narath from the U.S. and an organizing committee (OC), with members drawn from Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Israel and additional Arab countries. Those parties will come together at a planning meeting in Turkey in late 2001. Over the course of two days, the group will determine an appropriate location, time, speakers, topics, and an agenda for the workshop to be held the following year. The planning meeting will serve as the beginning of a dialogue among the organizing committee members during the next year. The culmination of the planning will be a workshop in 2002 focused on materials research, education, and specialty topics that the planning meeting participants will have identified.%%% Previous NSF co-sponsored international workshops have involved NAFTA countries (1995), European countries (1996), Pan-American countries (1998), Asian Pacific countries (1998), and Africa (2000). All of these workshops shared the common goal of fostering greater international cooperation and collaboration in the broad field of materials research. Topics which are presumably important to the region include corrosion, thin films, concrete, minerals, petroleum and natural gas, and polymers. The participants will be asked to make recommendations in each area and devote special attention to the development of virtual institutes as a vehicle for furthering cooperation. The U.S.-Middle East Materials Workshop is being jointly supported by the Division of Materials Research, the Office of Multidisciplinary Affairs, the International Division, and the Division of Chemical and the Division of Chemical and Transport Systems.