2011 Gordon Research Conference/Seminar on Adhesion Science

I would like to bring your attention to the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Adhesion Science, which will be held from July 24 – 29, 2011, at Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.A.  This conference is chaired by Chung-Yuen Hui at Cornell University and Kenneth Shull at Northwestern University.

The 2011 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) for Adhesion Science will present cutting edge research on soft material physics and mechanics, bio-inspired adhesives, adhesion of small and flexible devices and single molecule and cell adhesion.  The invited speakers and discussion leaders representing a variety of scientific disciplines are in the forefront of their field. The format of GRC (small number of attendees all staying at the same location and attending the same talks, 1 hr talks with ample time for discussion, free afternoons for interaction) are designed to stimulate the free exchange of ideas. A preliminary program for the GRC is included in the attachement. 

We are also excited  to announce the first Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on adhesion science.  The GRS, associated with the GRC, will be held one day prior to the GRC at the same location (July 23-24, 2011).  The goal of the GRS is to provide a highly-stimulating and non-intimidating environment for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to discuss their research in talks and poster sessions, and to build informal networks with their peers that may lead to a lifetime of collaboration and scientific achievement. There will also be a one hour mentorship session on career development led by Professor Shu Yang from the University of Pennsylvania. The GRS is organized by graduate students (me and Garret DeNolf at Northwestern University) with the support of the chair and the vice chair from the GRC on Adhesion Science.  All GRS participants are strongly encouraged to attend the following GRC. 

Application and registration should be completed through the GRC website: www.grc.org.  The deadline of application for both GRC and GRS is June 26, 2011. Applicants for GRC and GRS are encouraged to submit abstracts for poster presentations. The GRS chairs will select discussion leaders and additional speakers (besides the three invited speakers) from abstracts submitted by March 23, 2011. Those applicants who are not chosen for talks and those who apply after the deadline to be considered for an oral presentation will be expected to present a poster.

Please do not hesitate to contact me (rl267@cornell.edu) if you have any questions about the GRC or GRS. Thank you for your attention and I look forward to seeing you at the conference.