The Mathematics of Soft Active Materials (Cancelled) (20w5116)

The Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics will host the "The Mathematics of Soft Active Materials" workshop in Hangzhou, China from November 1 to November 06, 2020.

Tissue, rubber, and shampoo are all examples of soft materials, that can deform or flow easily. Soft materials are ubiquitous in daily life, and important to technology and medicine, because of their wide range of interesting and useful properties. In recent years, inspired by biological systems, natural and artificial soft materials that have the capability to deform through the internal consumption of energy have been shown to possess properties not found in traditional "passive" materials. These new materials are called "soft active materials".

To understand several biological processes and realize new applications enabled by such soft active materials, substantial progress must be made in theoretical modeling, computational tools, and engineering design. This poses challenges for everyone involved in this interdisciplinary area, including biologists, mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, and engineers. In order to make their contributions understandable and useful for the entire field, researchers from different backgrounds must come together and learn from each other. This workshop will bring together researchers from various disciplines to foster discussions, collaborations, and advances in all aspects of soft active materials.

The Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (IASM) in Hangzhou, China, and the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) in Banff, are collaborative Canada-US-Mexico ventures that provide an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station in Banff is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).