Travel Award Program for Young Scientists Providing international networking opportunities

1. Travel Award Program for Young Scientists Providing international networking opportunities The Travel Program supports US-based faculty, postdocs, and students to attend workshops and conferences in Europe. International travel enhances the professional development of young researchers at all levels, and scientists from smaller institutions are particularly encouraged to apply. The yearly budget is $23,000; the typical award is $800. This year, 37 applications were received; the MCC supported 19 trips for scientists from 15 different institutions. WHY IT MATTERS: Participants profit both from the science presented and from new international contacts. Participants are able to present their research and get personal feedback from experts in the field. For researchers from smaller institutions, this kind of international networking is especially valuable. Our research focuses on a controversial topic, and until this workshop we have not had the opportunity to share our results with the European community. I was very pleased with this experience and greatly appreciate being awarded the MCC travel grant. Jeffrey Rimer, graduate student University of Delaware, Chemical Engineering

2. 2006 WORKSHOPS • The events were held in Poland (Wroclaw), France (Lyon), and Spain (Benasque). • Psi-k/COST workshop on multiscale modeling of extended defects and phase transformations at material interfaces • Theory of single molecule force experiments and simulations • Polymer Surfaces And Interfaces • Multiscale modeling of soft and biological matter • Simulations of novel carbon materials • Joint MolSimu-Psi-k Tutorial "Quantum Simulation of Liquids and Solids” • Simulating matter at the nano-scale using density-functional theory, pseudopotentials and plane waves • Inelastic effects in transport at the atomic scale: from realistic current simulations to chemical detection at the atomic scale via IET spectroscopy • PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION • D. Ceperley (UIUC) • WEBSITE • http://www.mcc.uiuc.edu/travel/ UNIVERSITIES OF AWARDEES Carnegie Mellon University Hunter College of the City University of New York Jackson State University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Northeastern University Northwestern Unviersity Ohio State University Prairie View A&M University Rutgers University University of Georgia University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Michigan University of Minnesota University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Texas at Austin Wesleyan University