Find a Conference

California Wildfire Update (as of 1/17/2025 at 5PM EST) - We are currently operating safely at all California venues and all conferences are scheduled to proceed as planned. click here for more details

Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions

Gordon Research Conference

The Science and Application of Soft Materials in Hard(er) Environments

February 4 - 9, 2018

Chairs

and

Vice Chairs

and

Four Points Sheraton / Holiday Inn Express

1050 Schooner Drive

Ventura, California, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

Colloidal, macromolecular, and polyelectrolyte solutions are of abiding interest not only because of the fascinating range of phenomena they display, but because of their tremendous utility. In many applications, such "soft materials" encounter hard(er) matter, with the hard-soft interface being where exploitable properties occur. The sensory properties of food, the durability of coatings, and the adhesion of biofilms are three examples among many. The science and technology of how hard and soft materials meet and work together will be the overall theme of the 2018 meeting of this GRC.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
4:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff / Welcome from the GRC Chair
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Soft Meets Hard as an Emergent Theme from Applications Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 8:20 pm	"Colloids and Droplets Facing a Solidification Front: Fundamentals and Applications"
8:20 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 9:15 pm	"Bijels: A Platform for Advanced Materials Synthesis"
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Friction and Adhesion in Dispersed Systems Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:40 am	"Shear Jamming and Shear Thickening: A View from Force Space"
9:40 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am	Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am	"Friction in Shear Thickening and Shear Thinning Non-Brownian Suspensions"
11:10 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm	"Structure, Rheology, and 'Friction' in Therapeutic Protein Solutions"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	Power Hour The GRC Power Hour is an optional informal gathering open to all meeting participants. It is designed to help address the challenges women face in science and support the professional growth of women in our communities by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring. Organizer:
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Bonding and Fracturing Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm	"Puncture and Cavitation of Soft Solids"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm	"Contact Formation and Debonding Mechanisms of Soft Model Adhesives"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Toughening Polymers and Softening Colloids Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:40 am	"Megasupramolecules"
9:40 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am	Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am	"Softness: A Machine-Learned Structural Quantity for Understanding Glassy Dynamics"
11:10 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm	"Squashing Soft Matter: Structures Under Geometrical Confinement and Implications for Surface Properties"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Bacteria on Hard and Soft Surfaces Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm	"Bacteria Know When to Begin Biofilm Development by Sensing the Mechanics Conferred by Adhesive Polymers"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm	"Adhesion of Bacteria: Mechanisms, Forces and Contact Area"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Soft and Hard Solids Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:40 am	"Cement Hydrates: From Soft Gels to Concrete"
9:40 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am	Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am	"Equilibrium Cluster Formation, Gelation and Glassy Dynamics in Colloidal Systems"
11:10 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm	"A Deep Link Between Crystallization and the Glass Transition"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:00 pm - 7:30 pm	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair; Fill in Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Site and Scheduling Preferences; Election of the Next Vice Chair
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Macromolecular Solutions on Living Materials Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm	"Silicone Hydrophobic Polyelectrolytes on Hair"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm	"Hard Puzzles of the Soft Airway Surface Layer"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Processing Colloidal, Macromolecular, and Polyelectrolyte Solutions Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:40 am	"Single Polymer Dynamics of Complex Molecular Topologies and Pi-Conjugated Materials"
9:40 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am	Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am	"Transport of Different Components in 'Saloplastic' Polyelectrolyte Complexes"
11:10 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm	"Colloidal Processing of Porous Silicon Composites for High Capacity Lithium Ion Batteries"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Evaporation and Condensation of Complex Fluids Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm	"Blood Spatters: Complexities and Relevance for Crime Scene Reconstruction"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm	"Condensation in an Elastic Matrix"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Conference Links

Conference History Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions (GRS)

Similar Conferences

Registration Fees Additional Fee Info

Similar Gordon Research Conferences and Seminars

Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions (GRS)

January 31 - February 1, 2026

Liquid Crystals

July 6 - 11, 2025

Polymer Physics

July 26 - 31, 2026

Soft Condensed Matter Physics

August 10 - 15, 2025

Contact Us

MyGRC Account
Check your application status, complete your registration, update your poster, change your rooming preference, make a bus reservation, print an invitation letter, print a receipt (which includes verification that you are presenting a poster) or print an invoice by logging into your account.

GRC Venues
Everything you need to know, to plan your trip.

FAQs
Instant answers to common questions.

Tell us how we can help

Call us and leave a detailed message at: 401-783-4011

*This voicemail is only checked once daily. Due to high volume of requests during the conference season, responses may be delayed.

You have no notifications