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The 2020 Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center (PCC), Phoenix, Arizona, April 13–17. The symposium sessions will include many new and developing areas of materials research as well as some well-established and popular topics. To complement the symposium sessions, 10 tutorials will provide detailed introductions to select areas of research, and the exhibit will showcase products and services of interest to the scientific community. The Meeting, exhibits, and posters will all be located at the PCC.
Symposium Sessions
Making up the core of the Meeting are five topical clusters of the technical program, encompassing 56 symposia. They are grouped as follows: Characterization and Theory; Electronics and Photonics; Energy, Storage and Conversion; Nanoscale and Quantum Material and Soft Materials and Biomaterials.
LATE NEWS—HOT TOPIC coverage will feature: artificial intelligence: responsive and adaptive materials; sustainability; emerging biomaterials (synthetic biology, 3D biology, and bioelectronics); quantum materials; and more!
The Fred Kavli Distinguished Lectureship in Materials Science John A. Rogers will present The Plenary Session Featuring The Fred Kavli Distinguished Lectureship in Materials Science on Tuesday, April 14, 8:15–9:30 am, in PPC North, Ballroom 120 D. Rogers is the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Chemistry, and Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University. He is also the founding director of the endowed Center for Bio-Integrated Electronics.
Rogers’s presentation is titled, “Functional Materials for Bioelectronic Neural Interfaces.” Advanced electronic/ optoelectronic devices built with classes of materials that enable intimate integration with soft tissues of the brain and the peripheral nervous system will accelerate progress in neuroscience research; they will also serve as the foundations for new approaches to regenerative medicine and to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Capabilities for injecting miniaturized electronic elements, light sources, photodetectors, thermal actuators, multiplexed sensors, programmable micro-fluidic networks and other components into precise locations of the deep brain, or softly laminating them onto the surfaces of nerves, will open up unique and important opportunities in stimulating, inhibiting, and monitoring behaviors of complex neural circuits. This presentation will describe concepts in materials science and assembly processes that underpin these types of technologies in one-, two-, and three-dimensional architectures. Examples include “cellular-scale” optofluidic neural probes for optogenetics research, 3D mesoscale networks for study of neural activity in developing organoids, and integrated systems for closed-loop control of bladder function by neuromodulation.
Rogers obtained his BA and BS degrees in chemistry and physics from The University of Texas at Austin. He received SM degrees in physics and chemistry, and his PhD degree in physical chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Rogers’s research includes fundamental and applied aspects of nano- and molecular-scale fabrication, as well as materials and patterning techniques for unusual electronic and photonic devices, with an emphasis on bio-integrated and bio-inspired systems.
The Rogers Research Group at Northwestern University works to understand and exploit interesting characteristics of soft materials, such as polymers, liquid crystals, and biological tissues, and hybrid combinations of them with unusual classes of inorganic micro-/nano-materials-ribbons, wires, membranes, or tubes. Their current research focuses on soft materials for conformal electronics, nanophotonic structures, microfluidic devices, and microelectromechanical systems.
Rogers’s awards include the Benjamin Franklin Medal from The Franklin Institute (2019), the MRS Medal (2018), the Samuel R. Natelson Award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (2018), the Nadai Medal from The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2017), the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Trailblazer Award (2016), and the ETH Zürich Chemical Engineering Medal (2015). He has published more than 650 papers, and is an inventor on more than 100 patents and patent applications, more than 70 of which are licensed or in active use by large companies and startups that he has co-founded.
Awards and Recognition Program
The MRS Awards and Recognition Program-Featuring Lightning Talks and Panel Discussion with Award Recipients will be held on Monday, 6:30–8:00 pm, at the Sheraton Hotel. Following the Awards and Recognition program, stay for interactive “lightning” talks by recipients of the following awards: Innovation in Materials Characterization Award; Md-Career Researcher Award; E-MRS EU-40 Materials Prize; and the Outstanding Early-Career Investigator Award.
This is your opportunity to engage with MRS thought leaders as they discuss their award-winning research. Our “Powerful Panel” will address materials science hot topics and current trends, as well as the impact these new technologies will have on society.
Meeting Events
Symposium X—Frontiers of Materials Research will feature presentations aimed at a broad audience and on topics at the forefront of research on materials science and engineering. Featured this year are Reshma Shetty, Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. (“Designing Biology” on Tuesday); Christine Ortiz, MIT (“Socially Directed Science and Technology Education, Research and Innovation—Opportunities and Challenges for the Field of Materials Science and Engineering” on Wednesday); and Vijay Narayanan, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center (“The Golden Age of Materials Innovations—From High-κ/ Metal Gate to AI Hardware” on Thursday). All three talks will be in Ballroom 120 D, PCC North, 100 Level, 12:15–1:15 pm.
The MRS Public Outreach Committee is presenting several professional development and education outreach programs. (Check individual events for seating limits and preregistration requirements.)
Designing Sustainability into Materials Research Workshop. Many sustainability initiatives are focused on the development of technologies that minimize carbon footprint and energy use. In this interactive workshop on Monday, April 13, 2:00–5:00 pm, attendees will learn to expand the definition of sustainability to include aspects that limit sustainable materials development. The workshop will entail various modes of learning including presentations, videos, team discussions, and direct data access to information sources that can facilitate sustainable materials development in research activities. This workshop is appropriate for materials researchers at all career stages, including faculty and industry researchers, students, and early-career professionals. Preregistration is required. Limited seating is available for this free session.
Real-Life Challenges and Opportunities in Sustainable Product Design Seminar. Learn how to incorporate sustainability principles into your research in a more comprehensive way while considering the real-world application of these principles to product design and manufacturing. Many sustainability efforts focus on improving resource efficiency by creating materials and devices that are less energy-, water-, and material-intensive, but to be commercially viable and have a global impact, researchers need to balance adverse short-term impacts with potential long-term gains. This seminar will be held on Monday, April 13, 8:00–9:00 pm and Tuesday April 14, 7:30–8:30 pm, and is aimed at materials researchers of all career stages, from students and postdoctorate researchers to faculty and industry researchers.
The How to Prepare for Your ABET Accreditation Session will help materials departments prepare for their ABET visit. The training is on Tuesday, April 14, 7:15–9:30 pm, and the session can be attended without registering for the Meeting. Remote access will be available if unable to attend in person: http://mrs.org/spring2020-abet-training.
The Early Career Professionals Subcommittee will host a new poster session for members seeking careers in industry and government laboratories on Wednesday, April 15, titled Meet Your New Industry and Government Candidates-Poster Session This event offers an opportunity for recruiters and talent scouts from industry and government laboratories to meet new candidates. If you are interested in an industry or a government laboratory position but need a more effective platform to work with recruiters, or if you are a recruiter looking for talented candidates, this session is for you. The Early Career Professionals Subcommittee will also host a professional development session titled How to Land a Faculty Position: From Application to Interview on Monday, April 13, 1:30–4:30 pm. This seminar is for students and early career professionals interested in learning more about the faculty application process in the United States and Europe.
The Student Engagement Subcommittee will host a Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry—Interactive Panel Session on Monday, April 13, 1:30–4:30 pm. The panel will include researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry specialists discussing their experiences and strategies to develop and commercialize their research, as well as starting a successful company or organization.
Meeting attendees are invited to participate in the popular MRS Frontiers Reception—Building Communities, featuring PowerPoint™ Karaoke on Thursday, April 16, 5:30–8:00 pm, in PCC North, 100 Level, Ballroom 120 D. PowerPoint Karaoke starts at 5:30 pm with participants showcasing their research in an interactive and fun way. The Frontiers Reception immediately follows at 6:30 pm Topics featured during this interactive reception include sustainability, emerging biomaterials, artificial intelligence, quantum matenals and technologies, responsive and adaptive materials, and other emerging areas. Be a part of this exciting brainstorming mixer!
The popular Women in Materials Science & Engineering Breakfast will be held at the Sheraton on Wednesday, April 15, 7:00–8:30 am.
The Materials for Next-Generation Nanoelectronics Workshop will take place on Thursday, April 16, 8:30 am-12:00 pm. It will cover various topics of materials for nano-electronics across the entire value and innovation chain, from fundamental research up to industrial applications. The workshop goals are to provide select examples of technology transfer and first industrial deployment and to illustrate the particular role of research and technology organizations.
The MRS Publications Booth 100 will be featured in the Exhibit Hall. Stop by to learn about the MRS Publications Portfolio on Tuesday, 2:00–7:00 pm and Wednesday, 11:00 am–7:00 pm.
Essentials of Getting Your Work Published will be held in PCC North on Monday, 3:30–5:00 pm. Learn about the fundamentals of successful scientific publishing from MRS journal editors-in-chief.
The MRS Communications Lecture will be in PCC North on Monday, 5:15–6:15 pm.
Poster Sessions will be held in PCC North, 300 Level, Foyer, on Tuesday, 9:00 am–7:00 pm and Wednesday, 7:00 am–7:00 pm. The Meeting chairs will recognize the best presentations each day of the Poster Sessions. One or more awards of up to $500 will be presented based on the posters’ technical content, appearance, graphic excellence, and presentation quality.
As part of the MRS/Sociedad Mexicana de Materiales Student Poster Award Exchange Program, Best Poster awardees from the XXVIII International Materials Research Congress (IMRC) 2019 will present their posters at the 2020 MRS Spring Meeting. Posters will be displayed in the Exhibit Hall, PCC North, on Tuesday, 5:00–7:00 pm.
The popular Science as Art competition is open to all registered Meeting attendees. Multiple first- and second-place awards of $400 and $200, respectively, will be presented. Guidelines are listed on the 2020 MRS Spring Meeting website.
MRS will host a Career Fair in the Exhibit Hall, PCC North, on Tuesday, 2:00–7:00 pm and Wednesday, 11:00 am–7:00 pm to connect job seekers with recruiters and showcase available career opportunities. Attendees can discuss their qualifications directly with recruiters, participate in mock interviews, have their resume critiqued, and network with employers. Register online and upload your resume at http://jobs.mrs.org or stop by the Career Fair to access the registration stations.
Materials Voice will be available on-site in the Exhibit Hall on Tuesday and Wednesday for members to help support sustained federal research funding. It is quick and easy to send letters on current funding concerns and policy issues that are important to the materials research community. There will also be a Research Funding Opportunities Session on Monday, 5:30–8:00 pm. This session provides interaction between government funding agency presenters and MRS Membership. Invited talks will be followed by a round-table question and answer session with individual program managers.
A Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship Program Information Session will be available for attendees to learn about the MRS/OSA and MRS/TMS Congressional Fellowships on Tuesday, 4:15–5:15 pm. Former Fellows will share their experiences as scientists in the US Senate and House of Representatives.
Meeting Information
Details of various events and activities will be available via the MRS Meeting App and in the Meeting & Exhibit Guide available on-site. The MRS website can also be accessed for updated information on confirmed talks and details on special events, information on obtaining a visa, and preregistration at http://mrs.org/spring2020. The deadline to preregister for the 2020 MRS Spring Meeting is March 27 (11:59 pm ET). International travelers are reminded to begin the visa process early. For additional information on the Spring Meeting, contact MRS Member Services via e-mail info@mrs.org or tel. 724-779-3003.
Phoenix Convention Center, North Building, 300 Level, Exhibition Halls C–E Tuesday, April 14, 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm • Wednesday, April 15, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
AAAS Science & Technology Booth 228
Policy Fellowships
Fellowships; Professional Development
Admiral Instruments Booth 502
Potentiostats and Galvanostats;
Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy;
Battery Testing; Photo-electrochemistry
AdValue Technology, LLC Booth 405
High Quality Materials for Advanced
Material Research and Production
AIP Publishing Booth 206
APL Materials; Applied Physics Letters;
Applied Physics Reviews; APL Photonics;
APL Bioengineering
AJA International, Inc. Booth 301
Sputtering/E-Beam/lon Milling Systems;
Sputtering Sources; Target and Evaporation Material
American Physical Society Booth 224
Journals/Publishing
ANCORP Booth 200
High and Ultra-high Vacuum Components
Angstrom Science, Inc. Booth 425
Atomic Force Microscopes; Scanned Probe
Microscopes; Light Microscopes
Anton Paar Booth 207
Litesizer 500; PSA 1190; SAXSpoint:
MCR 302; Step XXO MCT; TRB3
Arizona State University Booth 227
Education; Research; Community Engagement
BioLogic Booth 404
Exclusive Provider of EC-Lab
Instruments™
Blue Wave Semiconductors Booth 607
Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD);
Thin Film Deposition Systems
Bruker Booth 426
AFM Probes; AFM Systems; Nanomechanics, Nanoelectrics, Nanochemical and Nanoindentation Systems
Cambridge University Press Booth 105
Books and Journals
Cell Press Booth 204
Scientific Journals
CrystalMaker Software Ltd. Booth 422
CrystalMaker X; SingleCrystal 4;
CrystalDiffract 6
Delcom Instruments Inc. Booth 303
Noncontact Sheet Resistance Meters
Ecopia Corp. Booth 202
Hall Effect Measurement Systems; HMS-3000 and HMS-5000 Series Systems for Measuring Resistivity
Electron Microscopy Sciences Booth 401
Carbon and Sputter Coaters;
Polishing Supplies; Precision Polishers;
Cold and Hot Mounting Mediums
EnvisionTEC Inc. Booth 205
Professional-grade 3D Printers
Gatan Booth 307
TEM Specimen Preparation; TEM
Specimen Holders; TEM Imaging and
Spectroscopy; TEM Analysis
Goodfellow Ltd. Booth 423
Metals; Ceramics; Polymers;
Nanomaterials
Hummingbird Scientific Booth 402
TEM; SEM; X-ray Synchrotron
Specimen Holders
ibss Group, Inc. Booth 302
Plasma Cleaner
lonoptika Ltd. Booth 525
ToF SIMS; Single Ion Implantation;
Gas Cluster Ion Beams
Janis Research Company, LLC Booth 306
Cryogenics; Probe Stations; Cryostats
JASCO Booth 505
JASCO Spectra Manager Software;
Spectroscopy and Chromatography
Instrumentation
KP Technology Ltd. Booth 203
Ambient-pressure Photoemission
Spectroscopy; Surface Photovoltage
Spectroscopy; Kelvin Probe Systems
Kurt J. Lesker Company Booth 400
Pure Targets and Materials; Vacuum
Components; Thin Film Deposition Systems
Lake Shore Cryotronics Both 406
Cryogenic Probe Stations; Hall Effect
Measurement Solutions; Vibrating Sample Magnetometers
M. Braun Inc. Booth 522
mbraun.com
Inert Gas Purification Systems;
Standard and Custom Enclosures;
Thin Film Coating Equipment
McCrone Group Booth 427
mccrone.com
JEOL Benchtop SEM; Linkam Thermal
Stages; Microscopes; Analytical Services
MilliporeSigma Booth 322
sigmaaldrich.com
Nanomaterials; Energy and Electronics;
Biomaterials
MKS Instruments, Inc. Booth 523
newport.com
Class AAA Solar Simulators
MTI Corporation Booth 507
mtixtl.com
Powder PVD Coating System; Vacuum
Melt Spinning System; High Throughput
Coin Cell Assembling System
Nanoscale Science Booth 226
User Centers
nsrcportal.sandia.gov
User Facility; Nanoscience Research;
Nanoscience Tools and Capabilities
National Academies of Booth 222
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
nas.edu/fellowships
Fellowships; Research Awards;
Graduate Funding
National Security Agency– Booth 327
Research Directorate
lps.umd.edu
Research; Physics; High-performance
Computing
neaspec GmbH Booth 305
neaspec.com
neaSNOM; nano-FTIR
Nextron Booth 600
nextron.co.kr
Micro Vacuum Probe Station
Nor-Cal Products Booth 300
n-c.com
High and Ultra-high Vacuum Components
NT-MDT America, Inc. Booth 223
ntmdt-si.com
Spectrum Instruments
Park Systems Booth 529
parksystems.com
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) Systems
PerkinElmer, Inc. Booth 528
perkinelmer.com
Analytical Instruments
Picoquant Photonics Booth 504
North America
picoquant-usa.com
Laser Sources; Photon Counting Electronics
Plasmaterials, Inc. Booth 601
plasmaterials.com
Sputtering Targets; Backing Plates; Precious
Metal Reclamation Program; Sputtering
Target Bonding; Evaporation Materials
Protochips Booth 524
protochips.com
Axon; Fusion Select; Poseidon Select;
Atmosphere
Quantum Design Booth 429
qdusa.com
Automated Material Characterization
Systems
R.D. Mathis Company Booth 604
rdmathis.com
Evaporation Sources; Evaporation
Materials; E-Beam Liners
Rigaku Booth 323
rigaku.com
MiniFlex 6G; SmartLab; SmartLab SE;
AutoMATE II; HyPix-3000
SAES Group Booth 503
saes-group.com
HV and UHV NeXTorr Pumps; CapaciTorr
Pumps; Wafer Modules
Scienta Omicron Booth 325
scientaomicron.com
Electron Spectroscopy; Scanning Probe
Microscopy; Thin Film Deposition
SPI Supplies, Division of Booth 201
Structure Probe, Inc.
2spi.com
Sample Preparation in SEM, TEM,
Optical and AFM Disciplines
Springer Nature Booth 101
springernature.com
Books and Journals
Staib Instruments Inc. Booth 506
staibinstruments.com
RHEED; Auger; Surface Analysis
TA Instruments Booth 304
tainstruments.com
Technology for Thermal Analysis;
Rheology and Thermophysical Properties
Ted Pella, Inc. Booth 501
tedpella.com
Microscopy Supplies; Sample Preparation
Supplies; Vacuum Coaters
Vigor Tech USA Booth 329
vigor-glovebox.com
Gloveboxes; Inert Atmosphere Research
Equipment
Wafer World, Inc. Booth 424
waferworld.com
Silicon Wafers; Geranium Wafers;
GaAs Wafers; Clean Room Packaging
J.A. Woollam Booth 407
jawoollam.com
Spectroscopic Ellipsometers;
Thickness and Refractive Index
Xenocs Booth 500
xenocs.com
Small Angle X-ray Scattering
Instrumentation (SAXS)
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Preview: 2020 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting & Exhibit. MRS Bulletin 45, 240–245 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2020.79
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2020.79