COMS

Development of multiscale methods has in general proceeded rather independently in the physics, chemistry, and applied mathematics communities. Approaches have varied from ad hoc fitting procedures designed to make contact with specific experimental systems to studies of simple low-dimensional models or models with few degrees of freedom that are amenable to analytic analysis. This research program will bring together researchers from a wide range of backgrounds for an extended period of communication and collaboration on the theoretical foundations of multiscale methods, to rigorously refine how they are used, and to broaden their applicability. The ultimate goal is to work towards a framework for multiscale modeling that is on the same firm footing as renormalization group methods or the approaches of computational statistical mechanics.

Fundamental challenges associated with these materials have hindered our ability to understand and exploit them for various applications. These include precise structural control, characterization, and large-scale synthesis, which require the collective efforts of scientists in multiple disciplines to overcome. This conference will highlight the urgency for research on graphitic carbon materials and gather scientists in physics, chemistry, and engineering to tackle the challenges in this field. The conference will focus on scalable synthesis, characterization, novel physical and electronic properties, structure-properties relationship studies, and new applications of the carbon materials.

For the first time, the 2012 GRC will have an associated Gordon Research Seminar organized specifically for graduate students and postdocs.

The upcoming incarnation of the GRC - EDAI will feature sessions on classic topics including proton-coupled electron transfer, dye-sensitized solar cells, and biological electron transfer, as well as emerging areas such as quantum coherence effects in donor-acceptor interactions, spintronics, and the application of donor-acceptor interactions in chemical synthesis. World leaders in all of these areas will be featured as speakers and discussion leaders, making the conference an excellent forum for scientists from different disciplines to meet and initiate new directions; for scientists from different countries to make contacts; and for young scientists to network and establish personal contacts with other members of this scientific community. A particular emphasis at this meeting will be sessions in which experimental and theoretical work are combined in order to illustrate and take advantage of the natural synergy that can exists between these traditionally disparate research efforts. The meeting also features an interactive atmosphere with lively poster sessions (several of which will be selected for oral presentations), as well as the inaugural Electron Donor Acceptor Interactions Gordon Research Seminar being held immediately prior to the main meeting.

The unique format of the Gordon Research Conference allows for the identification of emerging research areas and the presentation of work in progress that will not be quoted or cited (per GRC policy). Extensive discussion and poster sessions, as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, facilitate brainstorming and the development of new collaborations. This venue provides an excellent opportunity for junior scientists and graduate students to exchange ideas with leaders in the field.

All oral talks are invited but conference participants have the opportunity to present a poster on their own current research in progress on ceramics using experiments, computational approaches, theory and/or modeling.