Midwest Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics Conference

Isamu KusakaOhio州立大学研究基金会“中西部热力学与统计力学会议”。中西部热力学和统计力学会议将于2003年5月28日至29日在俄亥俄州哥伦布市举行。这是一个以学生为中心的小型会议，强调在热力学和统计力学各个领域工作的研究生，博士后学者和年轻教师的演讲。资金将用于偿还研究生和博士后的旅费和与会议相关的注册费。本次会议其他方面的经费由其他来源安排，主要是俄亥俄州立大学的捐款。NSF-CTS过去曾多次为这次会议提供学生旅费，这一行动对于研究生广泛参加这次会议非常重要。知识价值：在为期两天的会议期间，将讨论热力学和统计力学的各种主题。我们预计约有65至70名与会者，与典型的全国性会议相比，这是一个很小的数字。这样可以避免平行会议，鼓励与会者之间进行深入讨论和交换意见。更广泛的影响：会议在学院氛围中进行，这是建立一个研究人员社区的理想方式，即使在会议结束后很长一段时间里，他们也可能继续在各个层面上相互交流。大约三分之二的与会者是研究生和博士后。对他们来说，这次会议可以作为热力学和统计力学社区的入门。对于教师来说，会议提供了一个机会，在一个非正式但又激发智力的环境中会见和评估潜在的教师候选人。

Isamu KusakaOhio State University Research Foundation"Midwest Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics Conference."The Midwest Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics Conference will be held in Columbus, OH on May 28-29, 2003. This is a small student-centered conference emphasizing presentations by graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and young faculty working in all areas of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Funding will reimburse graduate students and postdocs for travel and registration costs associated with the meeting. Funds for other aspects of running this meeting have been arranged from other sources, primarily donations from the Ohio State University. NSF-CTS has provided student travel funds for this meeting several times in the past, and this action has been important in making attendance at this meeting widely accessible to graduatestudents. Intellectual merit: During the two-day conference, various topics from thermodynamics and statistical mechanics will be discussed. We expect about 65 to 70 attendees, which is small compared to typical national conferences. This allows avoidance of parallel sessions, encouraging in-depth discussion and exchange of ideas among attendees. Broader impact: The conference proceeds in a collegial atmosphere, which is an ideal way of building a community of researchers who might continue interacting with each other at various levels even long after the conference. About two thirds of the attendees are graduate students and postdocs. For them, the conference can serve as an introduction to the thermodynamics and statistical mechanics community. For faculty, the conference affords an opportunity to meet and evaluate potential faculty candidates in an informal yet intellectually stimulating environment.