2023 Crystal Growth and Assembly Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

Non-Technical Summary The 2023 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Crystal Growth and Assembly: Mechanistic Understanding of the Growth and Assembly of Ordered Materials, and the 2023 Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Crystal Growth and Assembly are being held at Southern New Hampshire University on June 18-23 and June 17-18, 2023, respectively. Our society continuously benefits from the development of a wide range of advanced materials to solve technological challenges in applications ranging from solar cells, flexible electronics and catalysts to new therapeutics for human diseases such as malaria. Such materials are developed by scientists with diverse backgrounds including chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering. Novel materials are often developed at the boundaries of these disciplines and the aim of the Gordon Research Conference on Crystal Growth & Assembly is to bring together leading scientists from these different backgrounds to stimulate cross-fertilization. To promote broader impact, the format of the meeting emphasizes interaction with and active participation of young scientists, i.e., students and post-docs, to educate a new generation of researchers that will have to meet future materials challenges in a changing world where (some) resources become increasingly scarce. NSF's Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program and the Condensed Matter and Materials Theory Program, both in the Division of Materials Research, support stipends for registration fee and/or travel support for some early-career participants at this conference because of its relevance to their respective programmatic scope. Technical Summary The Crystal Growth and Assembly Gordon Research Conference and Seminar are dedicated to the knowledge and understanding of the fundamental atomic and nanoscale physics and chemistry that are central to the nucleation and growth of crystals, as well as their assembly into ordered materials for a wide array of technologies. Such knowledge is needed to develop advanced materials for a diverse range of applications. The 2023 GRC conference has a particular focus on the integration of theory and experiment to predict and understand crystal growth and assembly. This conference, with support from NSF's Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program and the Condensed Matter and Materials Theory Program, both in the Division of Materials Research, gathers leading scientists representing the major areas in crystallization and assembly, and brings them into contact with each other and, more importantly, with the next generation of researchers to promote broader outreach within the crystal growth community. With respect to this larger goal, the meeting seeks to provide a common language for our diverse student body; to raise the comfort-level of our student/postdoc participants; and, through these efforts, to develop a tightly woven community held together by a common interest in the principles of materials assembly. The accompanying Gordon Research Seminar that is dedicated to and organized by graduate students and post-doctoral researchers aids in the active participation of this new generation of scientists. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.