A one day workshop on Biomaterials and Complex Fluids will be held at Brandeis University on October 14, 1997, sponsored by the Materials Research Society. This meeting is intended to foster cross-disciplinary exchange between researchers located in the Boston Area. Research in the topics listed below is being pursued by groups from a wide range of departments spanning the biological, physical, and engineering disciplines. Inter-departmental barriers, as well as differences in methodologies and perspective hinder exchange of information. We hope to use this meeting as a mechanism to promote interaction between researchers who share common research interests, but come from different disciplines, and to establish contacts between groups located in close geographic proximity.
The format of the meeting will consist of a morning session of oral presentations, lunch, a poster session, and then concluding with an overview of the poster session and a panel discussion. We encourage all participants to contribute a poster and the aim of this informal meeting is to have as much direct discussion between participants as possible. In particular we would like graduate students to be exposed to inter-disciplinary research, and we ask all participants to seek analogies between the seemingly disparate research topics presented in the posters and articulate their view during the closing panel session. Associated with the meeting will be a webpage listing all the announcements, an electronic bulletin board for questions and discussion, and a page of links to the homepages of the participants.
The annual Boston MRS meeting brings together a diverse research community with common interests in materials. This workshop will focus on topics that overlap with the following MRS symposiums:
Biomolecular and Biomimetic Materials
Materials Science of the Cell
Complex Fluids
Defects in Ordered Polymers
Dynamics in Small Confining Systems
Disordered Materials: Fractals, Scaling, and Dynamics
For example, the call for papers for Symposium K: Materials Science of the Cell for the December 1997 MRS Boston meeting reads:
"Biological cells have evolved intriguingly complex materials whose architecture surpasses by far most man-made materials. Understanding the processing routes and properties of nature's molecular and macromolecular assemblies is crucial for revealing the molecular secrets of cell function. Simultaneously, knowledge of nature's solutions to optimize cellular functions will inspire new synthetic approaches in materials science. Research focused on biological materials, which straddles biology, chemistry, physics, and materials science is rapidly expanding. This symposium aims to provide a platform for a multi-disciplinary discussion of biomolecular materials."
In this Boston Area workshop we seek to bring together researchers interested in biomaterials, as well as those involved in the core disciplines of biology, physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering who may not be studying biomaterials but who are working on the related aspects in the areas listed below: Abstracts are welcomed in the following area:
BIOMATERIALS
- Structure and function of cellular membranes
- Thermodynamics of biopolymers and biopolymer networks (cytoskeletal polymers, DNA, single filaments, gels, and
networks, not-equilibrium aspects such as dynamic instability and force generation)
- Structure and properties of fibrous composites and the cell wall
- Molecular motors
- Complex mechanical functions of living cells (cell locomotion, mitosis, cytokinesis, intracellular transport, cell growth)
- Model systems of supramolecular assemblies (lipid vesicles, monolayers, protein assemblies)
- Biological materials and biomineralization
- Phase transitions in biological materials
- Protein folding
- Protein crystallization
- Biosynthesis of polymers for materials applications
- Biomineralization
COMPLEX FLUIDS
- Colloids (basic properties, interactions, structure in suspension, mixtures, phase behavior)
- Micellar systems (self-assembly, equilibrium and non-equilibrium, phase behavior)
- Self-assembling monolayers
- Block co-polymers and hetero-polymers
- Gels
- Liquid Crystals
- Bioseparations using complex fluids
- Controlled delivery of active ingredients using complex fluids (drugs, fragrances, flavors, etc.)
DISORDERED AND DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS
- Origins and genesis of disorder
- Dissipative pattern formation
- Spatio-temporal chaos in fluids
- Granular materials (dynamical properties - flow, fluidization)
- Glasses
INVITED SPEAKERS
| P. Janmey | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| D. Tirrell | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| G. Whitesides | Harvard University |
SUBMISSIONS:
We encourage early submission of abstracts which will be posted on the
meetings webpage, and updated frequently.
Abstract submissions: via web: http://www.elsie.brandeis.edu/workshop
via email: workshop@smectic.elsie.brandeis.edu
Meeting Webpage: http://www.elsie.brandeis.edu/workshop
Registration fee $10 (includes lunch)
Submissions and registration deadline: August 15, 1997
Send check or cash to:
Biomaterials/Complex Fluids
Dept. of Physics
MS 057
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA 02254
Organizing Committee:
| D. Blankschtein, Chem E, MIT | dblank@mit.edu |
| G. Thurston, Ophthalmology, Harvard Med. S. | george@critical.mit.edu |
| L. Mahadevan, Mech Eng, MIT | maha@lohtse.mit.edu |
| M. Brenner, Mech Eng, MIT | mbrenner@mit.edu |
| M. Prentis, Physics, Harvard | mara@atomsun.harvard.edu |
| J. Tang, Exp. Med., Harvard Med. S. | tang@calvin.bwh.harvard.edu |
| D. Tirrell, Polymer Sci, U Mass Amherst | tirrell@polysci.umass.edu |
| J. Gelles, BioChem, Brandeis | gelles@volen.ccs.brandeis.edu |
| J. Herzfeld, Chem, Brandeis | herzfeld@binah.cc.brandeis.edu |
| B. Meyer, Physics, Brandeis | bob@seastar.elsie.brandeis.edu |
Committee Chair:
| S. Fraden, Physics, Brandeis | seth@smectic.elsie.brandeis.edu |