Support for US Participants to 2nd International Workshop on Microstructure and Micromechanics of Stone-based Infrastructure Materials; Beijing, China; Fall 2008

提案号：0829376提案题目：支持美国参加第二届国际石基基础材料微观结构和微观力学研讨会；中国,北京;2008年秋季本项目资助12-15名美国与会者参加将于2008年9月25-26日在中国北京清华大学举行的第二届石基基础设施材料微观结构和微观力学国际研讨会的部分差旅费。第二次研讨会的重要作用是：1)巩固第一次研讨会的成果；2)回顾和更新自那时(10月5日？6日,2006);3)解决发展国家和国际合作的障碍；4)确定维持活动的策略。研讨会的重点是石基基础设施材料，包括水泥混凝土、沥青混凝土和人工增土，它们构成了现代民用基础设施的核心材料。增强和可持续的石材基础设施材料在可用的自然资源以及经济和环境影响方面对任何国家产生重要影响。美国国家科学基金会和研究人员是发起第一次研讨会和行动计划的主要推动力。重要的是，美国的研究人员和教育工作者参加第二届研讨会，以保持他们的领导地位。第二次研讨会的主要成果是制定和实施可持续发展计划，并开始合作开发教育材料和统一的石基材料研究方法，这是第一次研讨会期间没有进行的。研讨会的智力优势在于，它将有助于协同研究石基基础设施材料的结构和力学，并最终实现高性能材料的设计。讲习班的更广泛影响包括可能发起一个国际组织和编写教育材料，这些材料将改进下一代研究人员和实践者在改进设计、建造和维修方面的教育，同时节省费用。

Proposal Number: 0829376Proposal Title: Support for US Participants to 2nd International Workshop on Microstructure and Micromechanics of Stone-based Infrastructure Materials; Beijing, China; Fall 2008This project supports partial travel expenses of 12-15 US participants to the 2nd International Workshop on Microstructure and Micromechanics of Stone-based Infrastructure Materials to be held September 25-26, 2008 at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. The 2nd workshop has an important role in 1) consolidating the results of the first workshop; 2) reviewing and updating technical progress since that time (October 5th ? 6th, 2006); 3) resolving barriers to developing national and international collaborations; and 4) identifying strategies for sustaining the activity. The focus of the workshop is on stone-based infrastructure materials including cement concrete, asphalt concrete and human augmented soils, which form the core materials in modern civil infrastructure. Enhanced and sustainable stone-based infrastructure materials yield important impacts on any nation in terms of available natural resources as well as economic and environmental impact. The US NSF and researchers were the primary driving forces that initiated the 1st workshop and action plan. It is important that US researchers and educators participate the 2nd workshop to maintain their leadership position. The major outcome of the 2nd workshop, which was not undertaken during the 1st workshop, is the development and implementation of a sustainable plan and initiation of collaborations on developing educational materials and unified research methods for stone- based materials. The intellectual merits of the workshop lie in the fact that it will help synergize research on structure and mechanics of stone-based infrastructure materials and ultimately enabling the design of high performance materials. The broader impacts of the workshop include potential initiation of an international organization and the development of educational materials that will improve the education of the next generation of researchers and practitioners on improved design, construction, and maintenance with concomitant cost-savings.