Modern society – in particular, today’s technology – relies heavily on some form of complex materials with specific, controlled properties. The design, discovery, understanding and control of new materials will help society deal with global issues such as clean air and water, health care, and energy production.
These novel materials also could make a computer smaller, faster and perhaps cheaper.
The third College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Signature Research Themes workshop will examine “Complex Materials” from a scientific, social sciences and humanities perspective. The conference is Monday, Oct. 20, beginning at 1 p.m. in the Alumni Center, located south of C.Y. Stephens Auditorium.
The free workshop is designed for ISU faculty and research staff interested in cross-disciplinary research opportunities. The workshop includes speakers, Q&A periods, a panel discussion and breakout sessions. A cash-bar reception will follow. Parking is available at the Alumni Center.
Register for the workshop by emailing Kristin Doerder by Friday, Oct. 10.
Michael Dahlstrom, Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, and Mark Hargrove, biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, are the workshop planning committee co-chairs. Both said the event is not only for scientists.
“The people that should attend are any researchers who may be working, or want to work, in an area where complex materials may play a role,” Dahlstrom said. “This is not only for the hard sciences. Anyone in a social science or humanities field with a relevant leaning would benefit as well.”
Said Hargrove, “The workshop might also be of interest to faculty and staff who are interested in the Signature Research Initiative model for supporting college activities, or interested in scholarly activity within the college even if it is outside of their main fields of research and scholarship.”
Dahlstrom said the “Complex Materials” theme workshop, like the other LAS Signature Themes workshops, is an overview of a broad range of research opportunities for faculty.
“Faculty often think of the college’s Signature Themes through the lens of their own discipline, but each theme encompasses a much broader range of opportunities than any single field,” he said. “The upcoming “Complex Materials” workshop gives faculty an opportunity to explore the breadth of research that fits under this theme, to network with leading researchers across these fields and to hear perspectives from the major granting agencies that fund this research.”
Previous Signature Theme workshops covered “Economic, Environmental and Societal Sustainability” and “Exploring Data-Rich Environments.” Additional workshops will be planned for “Biological Structures and Systems” and “Global Citizens, Education and Technology.”
Pre-register for workshop via email (pre-registration is required)
Read about the Signature Themes
“COMPLEX MATERIALS” WORKSHOP SCHEDULE Monday, October 20, 2014 – 1:00 p.m., ISU Alumni Center
1:00-1:15 p.m. – Welcome: Dean Beate Schmittmann, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, ISU
1:15-1:30 p.m. – Adam Schwartz, Director, Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy
1:30-1:55 p.m. – Jim McCusker, Professor of Chemistry and Director, Center of Research Excellence in Complex Materials, Michigan State University Presentation: "Inorganic Chemistry and the Science of Solar Energy Conversion: Challenges and Opportunities" 1:55-2:00 p.m. – Question and Answer Period
2:00-2:25 p.m. – Paul Canfield, Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Robert Allen Wright Professor of Physics, ISU; Ames Laboratory Senior Scientist Presentation: “Over 70 Years of Signature Theme Research at ISU” 2:25-2:30 p.m. – Question and Answer Period
2:30-2:55 p.m. – Dietram Scheufele, John E. Ross Professor in Science Communication, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Co-PI, Center for Nanotechnology in Society, Arizona State University Presentation: “‘Political’ Science: NBIC Technologies at the Intersection of Media, Politics and Public Opinion” 2:55-3:00 p.m. – Question and Answer Period
3:00-3:30 p.m. – Breakout Discussion with Refreshments
3:30-3:55 p.m. – Mary Galvin-Donoghue, Director, Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation 3:55-4:00 p.m. – Question and Answer Period
4:00-4:25 p.m. – Dmitri Talapin, Professor of Chemistry, University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory Center for Nanoscale Materials Presentation: “Nanocrystal Assemblies: A Modular Approach to Materials Design” 4:25-4:30 p.m. – Question and Answer Period
4:30-5:15 p.m. – Panel Discussion
5:15-6:30 p.m. – Breakout Discussion and Reception: Cash bar, substantial hors d’oeuvres