Active and smart matter bridges science with engineering by searching for collective and programmable effects in such systems as spherical rafts of fire ants, chromatin inside the cell nucleus, collections of micro-bots, and actively catalyzed colloidal molecules. This conference will allow scientists from different backgrounds to assemble and discuss important recent findings, and determine future directions for the field by identifying underlying questions and approaches.

Experimental, theoretical, and numerical talks, posters, and discussions will address the following questions:

• How does collective motion in non-living active systems differ from those in living systems?
• What purely physical interactions lead to coherent patterns observed in living systems?
• How do you build an in vitro cell, which either mimics an in vivo cell or has new properties?
• How do you quantify collective motion and mechanical forces of cells in tissues, and how can these systems be modified to ellicit new, smart responses?
• How can active matter help drive self-assembly to ultimately build self-replicating objects?

Schedule:

The program will consist of invited and contributed talks, two poster sessions, and a breakout session.

Poster:

Please download the official poster for the workshop here and distribute freely.

Organizers:

James Henderson, M. Cristina Marchetti, Joseph Paulsen, Ashok Sangani, Jen Schwarz

Sponsors: