The Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) will hold a Hot Topics Workshop on Mathematics and the Materials Genome Initiative. The workshop will take place September 12-15, 2012, kicking off with a Wednesday evening reception and concluding early Saturday afternoon.

 On June 24, 2011 President Obama announced the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) to double the speed and cut the cost of discovering, developing, and deploying new high-tech materials in the United States.

The MGI is a multi-agency effort with the goal of catalyzing and combining resources from government, academic, industrial and professional venues so as to accelerate the time taken (currently about 20 years) for newly discovered material to be deployed into commercial products.

Achieving the MGI vision demands an “all hands on deck” approach, with dedicated involvement of academic institutions, small businesses, large industrial enterprises, professional societies, as well as government.

 The MGI will create an interactive and collaborative infrastructure to facilitate and expedite the discovery and deployment of new materials for a broad spectrum of applications and goals, such as materials for human health and welfare, clean energy systems and national security.

 The goal of this workshop is to inform the mathematical community about resources and opportunities linked to the MGI, to identify mathematical issues raised by this broad and ambitious initiative, to acquire input from the community towards developing such a program as well as to convey the insights thus gained to funding agencies and academic institutions.  The workshop is geared towards mathematicians and scientists currently working on mathematical aspects of materials science research and those interested in exploring the field.

Mathematical issues brought up by the MGI are also issues vital to research on advanced materials. New and fundamental tools of modeling, analysis and computational science are required to address these challenges.

Areas in need of fundamental mathematical input include multiscale analyses in the transition from atomistic to continuum models, development of more efficient solar and fuel cells, and certain aspects of bioengineering, such as the design and development of artificial tissue and prosthesis In addition, the study of effective properties of composites and material microstructures would allow for a broad characterization and experimental data evaluation of such systems.

The workshop is also aimed at facilitating the establishment of contact and collaboration among scientists and mathematicians to form MGI research teams.  An educational goal of the workshop is to open channels of discussion and collaboration with educational institutions, especially community colleges, with the perspective that a successful outcome of the MGI in promoting a new era of materials research and development, will require a well educated and technically savvy work force for its implementation.

The proposed program combines scientific lectures, panel discussions, information sessions from members of government agencies, summary discussions and  meetings with members of the  industrial and educational communities both from the Twin Cities area, and nationwide.

The purpose of the scientific lectures is to offer an outlook of state-of-the-art themes and open problems in materials sciences, either mathematical in content, or highlighting the role and needs of mathematical tools and techniques in addressing problems.

 For information, please visit the IMA Special Workshop website.