2009 Gordon Research Conference on Liquid Crystals; Colby Sawyer College; New London, New Hampshire on Summer 2009

2009年戈登液晶研究会议（2009年6月14日至19日）解决了液晶科学，液晶应用以及液晶概念重要的生物学和医学领域的当前问题。 会议的覆盖面非常广泛，从最新的基础理论和实验到液晶的性质，再到液晶在生物系统中的作用的前沿工作。 讨论主题包括新液晶的合成和表征，含有各种纳米颗粒的液晶系统，液晶中的自组装和分子聚集，最先进的模拟和建模，双轴向列相，弹性体，液晶有序和生物功能，生物启发材料，以及液晶在生物医学成像，光子学，激光，电光和传感器中的现代应用。 代表学术界和工业界的特邀演讲者来自广泛的学科，包括生物学，化学，工程学，医学和物理学。 非技术性摘要：2009年戈登液晶研究会议（2009年6月14-19日）讨论了液晶科学、液晶应用以及液晶概念重要的生物学和医学领域的当前问题。会议的覆盖面非常广泛，从最新的基础理论和实验到液晶的性质，再到液晶在生物系统中的作用的前沿工作。 虽然一直有很多来自美国以外的参与者，这个两年一次的会议是美国唯一一次专门聚集软物质领域的顶尖科学家和工程师研究液晶或相关系统的会议。 在这些参与者中有生物医学，纳米科学和传感器社区的成员，他们正在以新的方式应用液晶概念和技术。 此外，还专门拨出大量资金，支持研究人员在职业生涯早期和来自传统上代表性不足群体的研究人员参与。

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:The 2009 Gordon Research Conference on Liquid Crystals (June 14-19, 2009) addresses current issues in liquid crystal science, applications of liquid crystals, and areas of biology and medicine in which liquid crystal concepts are important. The coverage of the Conference is extremely broad, ranging from the latest fundamental theories and experiments into the nature of liquid crystals to the cutting-edge work on the role liquid crystals play in biological systems. Discussion topics include the synthesis and characterization of new liquid crystals, liquid crystal systems containing nanoparticles of various kinds, self-assembly and molecular aggregation in liquid crystals, state-of-the-art simulation and modeling, biaxial nematics, elastomers, liquid crystal ordering and biological function, bio-inspired materials, and modern uses of liquid crystals in biomedical imaging, photonics, lasing, electro-optics, and sensors. Invited speakers representing both academia and industry come from a wide range of disciplines, including biology, chemistry, engineering, medicine, and physics. This collection of leading investigators discusses the latest (often unpublished) results within this broad array of disciplines and explores the most pressing questions still to be answered.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:The 2009 Gordon Research Conference on Liquid Crystals (June 14-19, 2009) addresses current issues in liquid crystal science, applications of liquid crystals, and areas of biology and medicine in which liquid crystal concepts are important. The coverage of the Conference is extremely broad, ranging from the latest fundamental theories and experiments into the nature of liquid crystals to the cutting-edge work on the role liquid crystals play in biological systems. Although there have always been a good number of participants from outside of the U.S., this biennial conference serves as the only dedicated gathering within the United States of top scientists and engineers in the field of soft matter investigating liquid crystals or related systems. Among these participants are members of the biomedical, nanoscience, and sensor communities, who are applying liquid crystal concepts and techniques in new ways. Also, significant funds are earmarked to support the participation of researchers early in their careers and researchers from traditionally underrepresented groups.