2005 Elastomers, Networks and Gels: Gordon Conference, New London, NH, July 17-22, 2005

知识和技术优势：这是一份关于弹性体、网络和凝胶的戈登研究会议（GRC）的部分支持提案，该会议将于2005年7月17日至22日在新罕布什尔州新伦敦的科尔比-索耶学院举行。这个会议以前被称为弹性体GRC。在这个提议中，我们将会议扩大到包括网络和凝胶，因为弹性体领域已经成熟，新主题的加入将使会议焕发活力，同时又不会失去其与交联材料的身份。本着这种拓宽视野的精神，2005年会议将着重强调网络的基本原理，因为它们可以应用于新系统、工业弹性体和生物系统。将这些结合在一起的部分是网络的基础。PI在技术上和组织上都很有资格执行这个组织。他在网络和凝胶方面发表了大量原创作品，并经常参加本届会议。此外，他还担任美国流变学会年会的当地安排主席，并担任美国流变学会和美国塑料工程师学会聚合物分析部门年会的技术项目主席。弹性体、网络和凝胶是工业和新兴生物科学活动中的重要材料。此外，尽管交联网络或弹性体作为一个努力领域的名义年龄，但该领域正在进行许多新的和令人兴奋的活动和发现。不仅工业发现了新型材料，如液晶弹性体，而且电解凝胶（如DNA凝胶）的出现及其与生物系统的相关性也导致了凝胶特定领域工作的复苏。此外，纳米科学为理解弹性体的增强提供了新的方法，这使得橡胶增强中未解决的问题，如Payne和Mullins效应的机制，得以重新研究。该GRC将这些领域的知识汇集在一起，以促进不同领域研究人员之间的互动，并通过提供与所有弹性体、网络和凝胶相关的理论和模拟会议来巩固相互作用。妇女和少数民族的参与：在筹备这次会议时，我们将特别注意妇女和少数民族的参与。我们很高兴在今年的项目中，大约25%的演讲者和会议主席是女性（10/40，接受或邀请）。相比之下，2003年会议的41位主席或发言人中只有6位是女性，2001年会议的42位主席或发言人中只有5位是女性。在大多数情况下，西班牙裔和非洲裔美国人的演讲者没有被确定，尽管PI在受邀演讲者名单中确认了一位西班牙裔和一位非洲裔美国人。此外，组织者将努力确保在选择会议参与者时，少数民族参与者将被选中参加会议。当与会者从申请者中选择时，除了申请日期和申请人的科学背景外，还将以少数群体、妇女和初级科学家的平权行动原则作为标准。最后，Colby Sawyer的宿舍、餐饮设施和会议室都是残疾人无障碍的。在所要求的资金中，至少有2800美元将用于支持妇女或少数民族参与者。年轻研究人员的加入：这个关于弹性体、网络和凝胶的GRC将在其组织和参与者选择过程中强调新鲜血液。这是为了解决过去的担忧，即会议没有足够的年轻研究人员参加。这包括博士后和研究生研究人员。Pot Pourri会议通过引入年轻的研究人员来展示他们的工作，部分解决了这个问题。此外，海报环节的扩大为研究生和博士后提供了更多的参与机会。最后，在申请的资金中，我们将提供每人250美元作为部分支持，最多支持4名学生或博士后研究人员，以鼓励他们参与该计划。对社会的好处戈登研究会议被广泛认为是前沿会议，在会议上，前沿水平的研究被传播到一个地理和技术上多样化的参与者社区。本次会议以该基础设施为基础，汇集了来自世界各地的研究人员，讨论和挑战有关弹性体，网络和凝胶的当前知识状态。

Intellectual and Technical Merit: This is a proposal for partial support of the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Elastomers, Networks and Gels to be held at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH from July 17-22, 2005.This conference was previously known as the GRC on Elastomers. In this proposal we broaden the conference to include networks and gels because the field of elastomers is mature and the inclusion of new subject matter will rejuvenate the conference without having it lose its identity with crosslinked materials. In the spirit of this broadened perspective, the 2005 conference will be organized to emphasize fundamentals of networks as they mayapply to novel systems, industrial elastomers and to biological systems. The part of the program that welds these together is in the fundamentals of networks. The PI is highly qualified both technically and organizationally to carry out this organization. He has published widely his original work on networks and gels and has participated frequently in the present conference. In addition, he has both served as the local arrangements chair for the Society of Rheology annual meetings and has served as the technical program chair for the Society of Rheology and the Society of Plastics Engineers Polymer Analysis Division annual meetings. Elastomers, Networks and Gels are important materials both in industry and in the burgeoning activities of the biological sciences. In addition, in spite of the nominal age of crosslinked networks or elastomers as a field of endeavor, there are many new and exciting activities and findings going on in the field. Not only is industry finding novel materials, such as liquid crystalline elastomers, but the advent of electrolytic gels such as DNA gels and their relevance to biological systems has resulted in a resurgence of work in the specific area of gels. Furthermore, nanoscience has made possible new approaches to understanding reinforcement of elastomers and this permitsunresolved problems in rubber reinforcement, such as the mechanisms of the Payne and Mullins Effects, to be reinvestigated. This GRC brings these areas of knowledge together in a way that promotes interaction among the researchers in the different fields and cements the interactions by providing sessions on theory and simulation that are relevant to all elastomers, networks and gels.Outreach Participation of women and minorities: In developing this conference we will pay particular attention to the participation of women and minorities. We are very pleased that in this year's program approximately 25 % of the speakers and session chairs are women (10/40, accepted or invited). This compares with just 6 women of 41 chairs or speakers for the 2003 conference and 5 of 42 for the 2001 conference. For the most part, Hispanic and African Americans speakers were not identified, although the PI recognizes one Hispanic and one African American in thelist of invited speakers. Also the organizers will strive to ensure that during the selection of participants in the meeting, minority participants will be selected to attend the meeting. When the attendees are selected from the poolof applicants, principles of affirmative action with respect to minority groups, women, and junior scientists will be used as criteria, in addition to the date of application and the scientific background of the applicant. Finally, the dormitories, dining facilities, and conference rooms at Colby Sawyer are all accessible to persons with disabilities.Of the funding requested, at least $2800 will go towards the support of women or minority participants. Inclusion of Young Researchers: This GRC on Elastomers, Networks and Gels will emphasize new blood in its organization and participant selection process. This is to address past concerns that the conference did not have sufficient younger researchers participating. This includes post-doctoral and graduate student researchers. The Pot Pourri session addresses this partially by bringing in younger researchers to present their work as discussed above.In addition, the expansion of the poster session makes more slots available for graduate students and post-docs to participate. Finally, of the requested funds we will provide $250 each as partial support for up to four students or post-doctoral researchers to encourage their participation in the program.Benefits to SocietyThe Gordon Research Conferences are widely recognized as cutting edge conferences in which frontier-level research is disseminated to a geographically and technically diverse community of participants. This conference builds on that infrastructure and brings together researchers from around the world to discuss and challenge the current state of knowledge about elastomers, networks and gels.