Meeting Chairs | 2013 MRS Fall Meeting

2013 MRS Fall Meeting Chairs

2013 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit
December 1-6, 2013
Boston, Massachusetts
Meeting Chairs: Charles Black, Elisabetta Comini, Gitti Frey, Kristi Kiick, Loucas Tsakalakos

Welcome to the Meeting!

The 2013 Fall Meeting of the Materials Research Society will take place December 1-6 in Boston, Massachusetts. The world’s foremost international scientific gathering for materials research, the MRS meeting showcases leading interdisciplinary research in both fundamental and applied areas, coordinated by over 200 scientists from both academia and industry in 19 countries around the world.

The meeting’s core is its technical program, which includes 51 symposia organized into six topical areas:

Biomaterials and Soft Matter: Advances in the design, synthesis and processing of biomaterials and soft matter continue to expand the use of these materials in a wide variety of applications. This cluster captures this continuum, with symposia aimed at simulation-based methods for designing soft materials, and contemporary chemical approaches to soft material synthesis. Symposia are also targeted in the mechanics of biomaterials, the engineering of bioinspired structural materials and the fundamentals of both hydrogel and assembled polymeric systems. The use of these classes of materials as instructive interfaces will be highlighted in symposia aimed at soft- and biomaterials as tools for understanding biological processes and for integration with organic electronics. This cluster will also highlight multiple areas in which biomaterials, soft matter and composites are being employed for specific biomedical applications, including tissue engineering, cancer treatment, neural interfaces and diagnostic devices.

Electronics and Photonics: Symposia concerning the utilization of a broad range of advanced materials in electronics and photonics devices and applications will be available, from oxide semiconductors to diamond, compound semiconductors and magnetic nanostructures. Recent advances in plasmonics, metamaterials and photoactive organic materials, as well as organic microlasers, comprise separate themes. Finally, two topical symposia concerning large-area patterning and solution-based processing of functional electronic/photonic materials and devices are included.

Energy and Sustainability: This program provides a forum for presentation and discussion of advances in materials science driving improvements in energy conversion and storage. Three symposia are directed to photovoltaic energy conversion, with topics including inorganic thin-films, organic and hybrid organic/inorganics and earth-abundant materials. New developments in materials for thermoelectric energy conversion, nuclear power and catalysis will be discussed. The program features two forums highlighting the progress and technological issues in materials for energy storage, including in rechargeable batteries and at grid-scale. Focused symposia will emphasize development of new techniques for characterizing energy materials, including methods for their study in operating environments and approaches for understanding critical materials interfaces.

General Materials and Methods: Dramatic advances in materials and analyses methods continue apace. These symposia will highlight the synthesis of new materials with emphasis on the relationships between composition, structure and properties, as well as the application of cutting-edge characterization methods. At a fundamental scale, atomic structure, surface chemistry, interfaces, grain boundaries and dislocations will be explored. Forefront approaches to materials characterization will include electron- and ion-based methods, in-situ scanning probe microscopy approaches for correlative structure-functional measurement, and materials exploration via neutrons and x-rays. Furthermore, advanced approaches to deal with defects, fractures and microstructural complexity will be coupled with new theory and materials simulation capabilities to improve understanding of inorganic materials.

Materials and Society: Two symposia regarding the social relevance of technical advances in materials science are programmed at this meeting. In particular, materials issues in art and archaeology will be highlighted, as well as the contributions of materials science in engineering education. These symposia will disseminate advances and promote communication in the materials research community.

Nanomaterials: Symposia concerning the synthesis and function of a broad range of nanomaterials will be available, from semiconductor nanowires to nanocomposites, carbon nanostructures and cellular materials. Recent advances in microelectromechanical systems, phonon engineering, nanoscale patterning and self-assembly, and other emerging nanomaterials comprise separate themes. Finally, two topical symposia concerning nanostructured materials in extreme environments and elastic strain engineering for unprecedented material properties are included.

To complement these sessions, tutorials will be offered in several technical areas. Symposium X: Frontiers of Materials Research will feature lunchtime lectures aimed at a broad audience to provide meeting attendees with an overview of leading-edge topics. Poster sessions, an integral feature of MRS meetings, will be held during the evenings. The meeting chairs will award prizes of up to $500 for the best posters during each session.

The international exhibit will showcase products and services of interest to the materials community. In addition, several special events will highlight science outreach. Federal agencies will also host sessions on government funding policies and practices.

We look forward to seeing you in Boston!

2013 MRS Fall Meeting Chairs:
Charles Black, Elisabetta Comini, Gitti Frey, Kristi Kiick, Loucas Tsakalakos