American Chemical Society Symposium: Dynamics and Jamming in Complex Environments; August 19-23, 2012; Philadelphis, PA. USA

美国化学会的两次年度全国会议都包括物理化学分会的几次专题讨论会。这些专题讨论会的主题代表了物理化学和化学物理研究中一些最令人兴奋的领域。今年的专题研讨会之一是复杂环境中的动力学和干扰。从基础和应用的角度来看，拥挤和复杂环境中的粒子动力学是有趣的。的确，拥挤决定了许多物理、化学和生物系统中的粒子动力学，尤其是那些远离平衡状态的系统。例子包括液体到固体的转变，粘性液体和颗粒系统中的动力学，以及活细胞中生物分子的动力学。这种物理学也具有应用价值：事实上，我们设计新材料并预测其静态和动态特性的能力岌岌可危。非均匀性和缺乏周期性限制了常规体实验在这些系统中详细描述分子运动的效用。此外，这样的实验，以及直接的计算研究，由于这些系统所显示的巨大动态范围而变得复杂。新兴的实验、模拟和理论方法来研究这些复杂的系统，可以解决一些问题，这些问题回避了关于这些慢弛豫的性质的明确答案，广义上被称为玻璃动力学，尽管几十年的努力。本次研讨会的共同组织者要求资金帮助支付本次会议的演讲者和海报展示者的注册和旅行费用。特别是，这些资金将主要用于研究生和博士后的演讲。研讨会将汇集不同的科学家：他们在研究领域、选择的实验和/或理论工具、国籍、年龄和性别方面各不相同。特别是，已征聘代表人数不足的群体的成员通过邀请和特邀发言的方式参加- -由这些发言者代言的广告反过来又鼓励这些群体的成员作为与会者和海报作者进一步参与专题讨论会。受邀的演讲者代表了一个比那些通常出席玻璃会议的人更广泛的社区，这些会议往往侧重于分子玻璃或软物质或颗粒系统，并且通常不包括实验家和理论家。所要求的支持将扩大参加本次研讨会的社区，并反过来鼓励不同社区的研究人员之间产生新的协同作用。本次研讨会的主要目标是：(1)探索拥挤是动力学重要决定因素的各种系统中的共性；(2)继续发展讨论玻璃态行为的共同语言。

Each of the two annual national meetings of the American Chemical Society includes several symposia in the Physical Chemistry Division. The topics of these symposia represent some of the most exciting areas of physical chemistry and chemical physics research. This year one of these featured symposia is Dynamics and Jamming in Complex Environments. The dynamics of particles in crowded and complex environments is intriguing from fundamental and applied points of view. Indeed, crowding determines particle dynamics in many physical, chemical, and biological systems, especially those far from equilibrium. Examples include liquid-to-solid transitions, dynamics in viscous liquids and particulate systems, and dynamics of biomolecules in living cells. Such physics is also of applied interest: indeed, at stake is our ability to design new materials and predict their static and dynamic properties. Inhomogeneity and lack of periodicity limits the utility of conventional bulk experiments to detail molecular motions in these systems. Moreover, such experiments, as well as direct computational studies, are complicated by the enormous range of dynamics displayed by these systems. Emerging experimental, simulation-based, and theoretical approaches to investigating these complex systems can address questions that have evaded clear answers about the nature of these slow relaxations, broadly termed glassy dynamics, and the glass transition despite decades of effort. The co-organizers of this symposium request funds to help defray registration and travel costs for speakers and poster presenters at this meeting. In particular, these funds will be used primarily for graduate student and postdoctoral presenters. The symposium will bring together diverse scientists: they are diverse in their areas of research, in their chosen experimental and/or theoretical tools, and in their nationality, age, and gender. In particular, members of underrepresented groups have been recruited to participate via presentation of both invited and contributing talks - advertisements featuring such speakers then, in turn, encourage additional participation from members of these groups as attendees and poster presenters at the symposium. The set of invited speakers represent a much broader community than those typically present at conferences on glasses, which tend to focus on either molecular glasses or soft matter or granular systems and do not generally include both experimentalists and theorists. The support requested will broaden the community participating in this symposium and in turn encourage new synergies between researchers in diverse communities. The chief goals of this symposium are (1) exploring the commonalities in the various systems in which crowding is an important determinant of dynamics and (2) continuing to develop a common language with which to discuss glassy behavior.