Message from the Chairman:

Dear Colleagues:

We are very pleased to announce the 5th  International Symposium on Theory of Atomic and Molecular Clusters to be held at the Omni Hotel in downtown Richmond, from May 13-17, 2007. The previous conferences of this series were held at Leer (Germany, 1993), Wisconsin (USA, 1995), Berlin (Germany, 1999) and Toulouse (France, 2004).

In addition to the traditional work on atomic clusters, we plan to include selected contributions from nanostructures and biological communities. This is reflected in the choice of topics. The symposium will focus on the development and discussion of theoretical techniques that facilitate fundamental understanding of the science and technology of atomic clusters, nanostructures, cluster assemblies and biological systems. It will highlight how finite size, low dimensionality, composition and special geometric arrangement affect the properties of these systems. The symposium will promote an exchange between scientists studying inorganic nanostructures and those studying nanoscale biological systems such as proteins, cells, enzymes and DNA, and aid cross fertilization of ideas. Contributions from the physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science, will stress the interdisciplinary aspects of these emerging fields. While the focus of the conference is on theoretical modeling, it will include talks from selected experimentalists about the outstanding problems.

We are planning fifteen sessions of invited speakers focusing on stability, atomic and electronic structure, and properties of clusters, nanostructures and biological systems.  Each session will probe the developments and application of theoretical approaches that enable an understanding of the various properties. A central focus of the symposium will be to explore ways in which our understanding of the clusters and the nano-world in the physical sciences can aid us in tackling outstanding problems in the biological sciences and vice versa. Two round table sessions are planned to focus on discussion of the outstanding issues. A poster session is planned for contributed papers.  There will be no parallel sessions so as to maximize the interaction among the participants from every discipline. The concluding session of the conference will include a panel discussion of the outstanding problems in the fields, the trends for future research, and applications.  Each session will also include a short oral presentation on the latest developments to be selected from the contributed abstracts.

The Omni Richmond is located in the heart of Richmond's historic district - Shockoe Slip. Richmond, Virginia, which is about 100 miles south of Washington D. C. is a historical city within a short distance of the Atlantic Ocean, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Colonial Williamsburg.  Richmond International Airport is served by United, Delta, American, Northwest, Continental, TWA, and U. S. Air.  Ground transportation by Greyhound, Amtrak, and regularly scheduled limousines from the Washington, D. C. National airport are available.  A set of rooms at a reduced rate of $ 129.00 (single or double, plus tax) have been set aside and must be booked before March 1, 2007 by calling the hotel directly 1-800-843-6664 and asking for the Theory of Atomic and Molecular Clusters. The weather in May, when this conference is planned, is particularly pleasant. The year 2007 also marks the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in America and we plan a trip to historic Williamsburg at the end of the conference

I am looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the meeting.

With Best Wishes,

(S. N. Khanna)
Conference Chairman,
Professor of Physics,
Physics Department, Virginia Commonwealth University
Box 2000
Richmond, VA. 23284-2000, USA
Tel: (804) 828-1820
Fax: (804) 828-7073; email: snkhanna@vcu.edu

Please feel free to download and print a copy of the symposium poster for distribution to your colleagues. To download a full size version (11"x19") high resolution version, click on the thumbnail to the right.