The Materials Research Society (MRS) will hold its 2016 Fall Meeting at the Hynes Convention Center and the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, Mass., November 27–December 2. The Meeting will include a technical program, tutorials, an award ceremony, poster sessions, a career fair, and other special activities.

MRS Meetings focus on the interdisciplinary nature of materials research worldwide. Symposium organizers from around the world have created a program of 54 symposia that address leading-edge research and captures current progress in materials science and technology. The symposia are organized into the following nine clusters.

The Broader Impact cluster includes two symposia on teaching and learning in materials science and the business of materials technology.

The Biomaterials and Soft Materials cluster includes seven symposia that cover a diverse range of topics, including bioinspired materials, materials for medical applications, and nanostructured polymers. In the area of materials for medical applications, particular emphasis will be placed on novel strategies to create on-demand and stimuli-responsive changes in material properties with both spatial and temporal control.

The Electrochemistry cluster contains five symposia focusing on charge transport, proton transfer, catalysis, storage, and sustainability. The individual symposia consist of technical sessions ranging from fundamentals to applications.

The Electronics, Magnetics, and Photonics symposia cover a range of advanced materials in electronic and photonic devices and their applications. Twelve symposia cover the properties and applications of molecular and polymeric semiconductors, diamond, 2D materials, oxides, and other materials.

The Energy and Sustainability cluster focuses on advanced nanomaterials and flexible devices for next-generation photovoltaics, as well as materials and architecture for safe and low-cost electrochemical energy-storage technologies. Catalytic materials for energy and sustainability applications is also part of the program.

The Mechanical Behavior and Failure Mechanisms of Materials cluster includes seven symposia addressing mechanical behavior, including the strength and failure of materials from the nanoscale to the microscale. Both fundamental scientific aspects and applications are covered. Crystalline, nano-crystalline, intermetallic, and glassy systems are included.

The Nanomaterials cluster covers the synthesis and functionality of a broad range of nanomaterials, ranging from biomedical and energy materials to 1D, 2D, and 3D nanostructured materials. Recent advances in nanoelectronics, atomic-level interfacial engineering, defect control, nanoscale patterning, and self-assembly among emerging nanomaterials comprise separate themes.

The Processing and Manufacturing cluster is new and has roots in materials science, where processing is an essential component. The focus lies on the use of ion beams and plasmas in manufacturing, the importance of modeling in the manufacturing process, the development of sensor technology for environmental modeling, and roll-to-roll manufacturing to achieve hybrid and hierarchical structures in device applications.

The Theory, Characterization, and Modeling symposia cover theoretical aspects of materials science, simulation and modeling, metrology, and state-of-the-art characterization methods. The symposia focus on silico materials chemistry to perform virtual syntheses of novel materials, the discovery of materials utilizing data mining, and pushing the limits in electron microscopy.

To complement these sessions, tutorials will be offered in several technical areas. A separate symposium will be held on engaged learning of materials science and engineering. This symposium will be complemented by tutorials and workshops focused on education, diversity, and the use of social media.

Plenary session and awards

The Plenary Session featuring the Fred Kavli Distinguished Lectureship in Materials Science presentation will be held on Monday, November 28, at 6:30 pm, in the Sheraton Boston Hotel, second floor, Grand Ballroom. This year’s speaker is Ellen D. Williams, Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) in the US Department of Energy. ARPA-E advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. Williams will use program and project examples to illustrate the role of complex materials and materials interfaces in cutting-edge energy technologies in her talk entitled “Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy: Innovation for Impact.”

The Award Ceremony will convene on Wednesday, November 30, at 6:30 pm, in the Sheraton Grand Ballroom. The David Turnbull Lectureship, MRS Medal, Materials Theory Award, MRS Postdoctoral Awards, Kavli Foundation Early Career Lectureship in Materials Science, Graduate Student Gold and Silver Awards, and Von Hippel Award will be presented.

The 2016 Von Hippel Award, MRS’ highest honor, will be presented to Charles M. Lieber, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, “for pioneering contributions to nanoscience, defining the foundations of rational synthesis of nanoscale wires, characterization of their fundamental physical properties, and the development of applications of these materials in chemistry, biology, and medicine.”

Named after the late David Turnbull of Harvard University, the David Turnbull Lectureship is awarded to recognize the career contribution of a scientist to the fundamental understanding of the science of materials through experimental and/or theoretical research. James De Yoreo, of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is cited “for transformational discoveries that have reshaped our understanding of crystallization science...”

The MRS Medal recognizes an exceptional achievement in materials research in the past 10 years, and will be awarded to Robert J. Cava, Department of Chemistry, Princeton University. He is cited “for pioneering contributions in the discovery of new classes of 3D topological insulators.”

The Materials Theory Award recognizes exceptional advances made by materials theory to the fundamental understanding of the structure and behavior of materials. This year’s recipient is Gerbrand Ceder, University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, “for creating the field of computationally guided materials design, including the prediction of functional, thermodynamic, and kinetic properties, their integration with experiment, and the field of high-throughput computation.”

The MRS Postdoctoral Awards recognize postdoctoral scholars who show exceptional promise, which may include excellence in scientific research, leadership, advocacy, outreach, or teaching during their postdoctoral assignment.

The Kavli Foundation Early Career Lectureship in Materials Science recognizes Andrea Alù, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, for significant novel contributions to materials science by a young researcher in the early stages of his/her career.

Special sessions and events

Symposium X talks provide Meeting attendees with an overview of leading-edge materials topics. Alan Taub, University of Michigan, USA, will present “Challenges to Reduce Weight in Transportation Applications” on Monday, November 28; Steve Granick, Institute for Basic Science, Center for Soft and Living Matter, South Korea, will discuss “Active Matter: Surprises and Research Opportunities” on Tuesday, November 29; Bin Liu, National University of Singapore, will address “Aggregation-Induced Emission: Materials and Biomedical Applications” on Wednesday, November 30; and Nicola Spaldin, ETH Zürich, Switzerland, will present “Multiferroics: Past, Present, and Future” on Thursday, December 1. All of these talks will take place from 12:15 to 1:15 pm at the Sheraton Boston Hotel.

Poster sessions, an integral feature of MRS Meetings, will be held in the evenings. The Meeting chairs will award prizes of up to $500 for the best posters during each session.

The Focus on Sustainability program will run seminars on incorporating sustainability into research in a comprehensive way, while considering real-world applications of these principles to product design and manufacture. The seminar is aimed at materials researchers at all career stages, from students to postdocs to faculty and industry researchers.

If you are searching for an introductory-level undergraduate materials science course that will hook your students, stop by the Impact of Materials on Society booth at the Public Outreach Center to view the new curriculum materials and engaging videos. MRS scientists and University of Florida faculty will be on hand to answer any questions.

An ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering) Information and Evaluator Retraining Session will be offered to anyone who wants to learn more about the process, is preparing for an upcoming accreditation visit, or wants to ask questions about how to prepare a materials department for an accreditation visit. The training will be held Tuesday evening (7:15–9:30 pm), and the session can be attended without registering for the Meeting.

The National Science Foundation will be participating at the Public Outreach Center. The Division of Materials Research will be present to discuss funding opportunities, how to write a successful proposal, diversity, and sustainability.

iMatSci will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, November 29–30, 2016, at the Hynes Convention Center. These finalists will present their technologies using various forms of media such as videos and prototypes. iMatSci is designed to showcase technologies that have not yet been productized, but where there is a working prototype or evidence of a repeatable process. The entities behind these innovations will generally be early stage and pre-revenue; however, iMatSci will also consider showcasing innovative technologies that are emerging from an existing corporate entity. Visit www.mrs.org/fall-2016-imatsci-submission for more information.

The Women in Materials Science and Engineering Breakfast will be held Wednesday, November 30, at 7:00 am.

Representatives from several government agencies will present over-views of Federal Research Funding Opportunities on Tuesday, November 29 (5:30–7:30 pm). This event has been reformatted to allow MRS Meeting attendees the opportunity to meet directly with various program officers after an overview from each agency in a small group setting to allow for one-on-one interactions, questions, and comments.

The 2016 MRS Fall Meeting Career Fair will be held in the Hynes Convention Center, Level 2, The Hub— Hall D, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Career Fair will provide an opportunity for Meeting participants and top employers to discuss career opportunities and will feature recruiters and on-site interviews, career development sessions, and resume critiques and mock interviews. Students, postdocs, and seasoned professionals are all welcome.

A professional development workshop titled “Communications Skills for Individual Career Success” will be held Sunday, November 27, 1:00–4:00 pm, with a networking reception to follow, in the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Preregistration is required. The speakers are Cynthia Simpson, a chief business development officer with the Association for Women in Science, and Jocelyn Dunphy, a learning and organization development professional with a background in business communication training and coaching, career development strategies, and performance management.

2016 MRS FALL MEETING REGISTRATION RATES

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All 2016 MRS Fall Meeting registrations include MRS membership through December 2018.

The popular Science as Art competition will be held again at this Meeting. The competition is open to all registered Meeting attendees, with entries to be on display in the Exhibit Hall in the Hynes Convention Center. Multiple first-place and second-place awards of $400 and $200, respectively, will be presented. Guidelines and deadlines for entry will be available on the 2016 MRS Fall Meeting website.

A number of other events will take place throughout the Meeting, including other professional development opportunities. To stay up to date with additional events and activities, access www.mrs.org/fall2016.

For more information

The deadline to preregister for the Meeting is November 11, 2016, 5:00 pm (ET). International travelers are reminded to allow ample time to obtain a visa, if necessary. For additional details about the Meeting, contact MRS Member Services, Materials Research Society, 506 Keystone Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7573, USA; email info@mrs.org, tel. 724-779-3003, and fax 724-779-8313. Details of various events and activities will be published in the Program and Exhibit Guide available on-site. The MRS website can be accessed for updated information on confirmed talks and details of special events, for more information on obtaining a visa, and for preregistration: www.mrs.org/fall2016.