Participant Support for Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation: Molecular Modeling and the Materials Genome (FOMMS 2015); Welches, Oregon, on July 12-15, 2015

This project will allow 15 graduate students and 5 post-docs to attend the 6th triennial conference on Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation (FOMMS 2015) to be held in Welches, Oregon July 12 - 16, 2015 near Mount Hood. Molecular-level modeling and simulation are becoming ubiquitous tools for advancing science and engineering in applications ranging from design of new materials to understanding how drug molecules interact with protein receptors in the body. In addition to the pivotal role molecular simulation plays in academic research, industry is increasingly looking to molecular modeling to drive innovation, reduce costs and speed product development. The FOMMS conference series was initiated in 2000 to foster the application and development of molecular-based computational methods. Five highly successful conferences in this series have been held, and the meeting has carved out a unique niche owing to the diverse cross section of participants and topics, combined with the intimacy and accessibility of a relatively small conference. The meeting has no parallel sessions and will consist of a superb slate of 18 plenary speakers, two special workshops with an educational focus, and two poster sessions. Speakers were invited to achieve a good balance of university and industrial participation, as well as international involvement and diversity. The poster sessions are scheduled such that there is sufficient time for the invited speakers to visit the posters and meet the poster presenters. This turns out to be a very important aspect of the meeting, since it facilitates meaningful interactions between senior and more junior researchers, interactions that are often difficult to coordinate at larger meetings. The schedule provides ample time for interaction among participants, cross-fertilization of disciplines, and mentoring of young researchers.