(School: 30 Jan - 5 Feb 2012 at JNCASR)
(Symposium: 6 - 8 Feb 2012 at NCBS)
It has become increasingly clear in recent years that the concept of a ‘material’ goes well beyond its origins in hard condensed matter or materials science. Functional materials, such as shape memory alloys, show complex multiscale patterns of elastic domain walls. Glassy and driven materials involve nonequilibrium states of matter that go beyond conventional thermodynamics. Granular materials show stress propagation along force chains, jamming and intriguing connections with the physics of amorphous solids. Living cells and tissues are active materials displaying unique mechanical properties in their steady state, and in their response to stresses.
The presently distinct fields of condensed matter physics, materials science, biological physics, and statistical mechanics, have close foundational links, and James A Krumhansl (1919-2004) had long advocated dissolving intellectual phase separations between them. In this interdisciplinary spirit, an international symposium self-organized by volunteers, is being held every four years. With ‘materials’ interpreted in this broader sense, a 10-day JA Krumhansl School and Symposium (JAKS-2012), focusing on a search for “Unifying Concepts in Materials” will be held in Bangalore.
The 7-day School at JNCASR, and 3-day Symposium at NCBS, will have four themes:
1. Functional materials
2. Glassy/ driven materials
3. Granular materials
4. Biological/ soft materials
This program is designed to educate young people and to bring together active researchers, for an interdisciplinary cross-fertilization of ideas on unifying concepts in materials.
ncbs
resin