A DISCUSSION MEETING
SOFT MATTER SCIENCE IN THE UPPER RHINE VALLEY: RESEARCH FOR THE FUTURE
MAY 8-10, 2019
Schluchsee, Germany
The term “soft matter”, popularized in the 1991 Nobel lecture of Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, refers to materials that exhibit large deformations in response to modest forces. This responsiveness arises from the competition between weak interactions, comparable in strength to thermal energy, and between these interactions and entropy. Competing interactions also cause a striking property of soft matter, the ability to self-assemble into structures much larger in size than the constituent molecules. Responsiveness and self-assembly offer many opportunities for the design of materials.
In this context, the International Research Training Group (IRTG) “Soft Matter Science’’, a doctoral college between the Universities of Freiburg, Strasbourg, Mulhouse and Basel, organizes this discussion meeting. The meeting shall provide a platform for our doctoral researchers to discuss their research with international experts in the field. Therefore, the scientific program is structured around the doctoral research within the IRTG that takes place within three thematic focus areas:
A) Soft matter interfaces: From membranes to tribology
B) From design to multifunctional materials and devices
C) From physical concepts to material properties
Each thematic area will be illustrated and the discussion further fuelled by keynote lectures given by external invited speakers. This will form the basis for further discussions on the future of Soft Matter Science in the region of the Upper Rhine valley and worldwide.
As a satellite event a workshop on "Good Scientific Practice" will take place just prior to the Discussion Meeting from May 7 to May 8, 2019. This workshop is intended for PhD students only. Further information on the workshop can be found here.