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Liquid Crystals (GRS)

Gordon Research Seminar

Harnessing Liquid Crystals for New Functionality in Active, Stimulated, Confined and Biomedical Materials

July 6 - 7, 2019

Chairs Greta Babakhanova and Nicholas B. Tito

Colby-Sawyer College

541 Main Street

New London, New Hampshire, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The Gordon Research Seminar on Liquid Crystals is a unique forum for graduate students, post-docs, and other scientists with comparable levels of experience and education to present and exchange new data and cutting edge ideas.

This exciting two-day event will feature unpublished interdisciplinary research at the frontiers of science. The focus of this meeting is to encourage early-career scientists to exchange novel ideas and form new collaborations within the highly interdisciplinary community.

The seminar will include oral and poster sessions with a special emphasis on showcasing various interdisciplinary topics such as liquid crystals in confined systems, active matter, colloids/fibers/nanocomposites, polymers/elastomers, bio-inspired systems and optical devices. We encourage submissions on diverse theoretical and experimental topics.

The GRS in Liquid Crystals will provide ample stimulating discussion sessions and opportunities to network with senior mentors. Those applying to the GRS are strongly encouraged to submit an additional application to the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) in Liquid Crystals taking place on July 7-12, 2019 at Colby-Sawyer College.

Related Meeting

This GRS will be held in conjunction with the "Liquid Crystals" Gordon Research Conference (GRC). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRC in addition to an application for the GRS. Refer to the associated GRC program page for more information.

Conference Program

Saturday
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
3:30 pm - 3:45 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff / Welcome from the GRS Chair
3:45 pm - 4:30 pm	Keynote Session: The Art and Science of a Successful Career Discussion Leader: Taras Turiv (Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute (AMLCI), Kent State University, USA)
3:45 pm - 4:15 pm	Nancy Gray (Gordon Research Conferences, USA) "The Keys to Success… Are Somewhere at the Bottom of My Purse"
4:15 pm - 4:30 pm	Discussion
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Self-Assembled, Confined and Responsive LC Systems Discussion Leader: Serxho Selmani (University of Waterloo, Canada)
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Daniel Paterson (University of Leeds, United Kingdom) "Specialist Lipids for Controlled Anchoring of Liquid Crystal Droplets"
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm	Discussion
7:45 pm - 7:55 pm	Helen Ansell (University of Pennsylvania, USA) "Threading the Spindle: A Geometric Study of Chiral Liquid Crystal Polymer Microparticles"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm	Abhiram Reddy (University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA) "Mesogeometric Fingerprints of Triply Periodic Network Assemblies"
8:10 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:25 pm	Daria Atkinson (University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA) "Don't Get It Twisted: Complex Forms of Geometric Frustration in Bent and Twisted Columnar Liquid Crystals"
8:25 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:40 pm	Niamh Mac Fhionnlaoich (University College London, United Kingdom) "Thermal and Light Induced Nanoparticle Gradients in a Thermotropic Liquid Crystal"
8:40 pm - 8:45 pm	Discussion
8:45 pm - 8:55 pm	Devesh Mistry (University of Colorado Denver, USA) "Negative Order Parameter Liquid Crystal Elastomers on the Macroscale"
8:55 pm - 9:00 pm	Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm	Victoria Lee (California Institute of Technology, USA) "Actuation and Characterization of Nematic Elastomers"
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm	Emily Davidson (Harvard University, USA) "Light-Induced Shape Memory Materials via 3DP of Liquid Crystal Elastomers via Dynamic-Covalent Bonds"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Sunday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 11:00 am	Liquid Crystals in Active or Biological Systems Discussion Leader: Ziga Kos (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
9:00 am - 9:10 am	Gregory Smith (University of Colorado Boulder, USA) "Characteristics of Short Oligomer Nucleic Acid Liquid Crystals"
9:10 am - 9:15 am	Discussion
9:15 am - 9:25 am	Soon Mo Park (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea) "A Study on Elastic Behavior of Liquid Crystal Phase of DNA Polymers Evaporating on Micro-Post Template"
9:25 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:40 am	Nikita Solodkov (University of Leeds, United Kingdom) "Effects of Colloidal Particle Symmetry on Electrically Induced Motion in Nematic Liquid Crystals"
9:40 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 9:55 am	Hayley Sohn (University of Colorado Boulder, USA) "Collective Dynamics and Emergent Order in Schools of Active Liquid Crystal Skyrmions"
9:55 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:10 am	Rui Zhang (University of Chicago, USA) "Control of Topological Defects in Engineered Active Liquid Crystals"
10:10 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:25 am	David Rivas (Johns Hopkins University, USA) "Driven Topological Transitions in Active Nematic Films"
10:25 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 10:40 am	Jiaqi Liu (University of Pennsylvania, USA) "Forming Pollen-Like Surface Patterns from Liquid Crystalline Elastomers Through a Biological Pathway"
10:40 am - 10:45 am	Discussion
10:45 am - 10:55 am	Marianne Prevot (Kent State University, USA) "Responsive 3D Liquid Crystal Elastomer: From Bioink to a Real Brain Model Tissue"
10:55 am - 11:00 am	Discussion
11:00 am - 12:30 pm	Poster Session Coffee will be served in the poster area from 11:00 am - 11:30 am
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm	Mentorship Component: Networking for Scientists and How to Land Your Dream Job Discussion Leader: Anjali Sharma (University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg)
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm	Panel Discussion Networking for Scientists and How to Land Your Dream Job Elizaveta Dubrovina (Nature Communications, United Kingdom) Germano Iannacchione (National Science Foundation, USA) Randall Kamien (University of Pennsylvania, USA) Nancy Gray (Gordon Research Conferences, USA)
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm	Evaluation Period Fill in GRS Evaluation Forms
3:00 pm	Seminar Concludes

Contributors

University of Chicago - Institute for Molecular Engineering

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Liquid Crystals

July 6 - 11, 2025

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