Many science and engineering/industrial applications are rich with geometric problems. A classic example is the modeling of soap films by minimal surfaces. However, the geometric challenges that arise in many modern applications are still poorly understood. For instance, the mechanics of heterogeneous thin sheets exhibit macroscopic properties due to their microscopic patterning. The presence of defects has dramatic geometric consequences in liquid crystal partial differential equation (PDE) models. The shape of red blood cells is dictated by bending effects with volume and area constraints.

This workshop aims to deepen our understanding of the connection between geometry and PDEs in the context of physics and engineering/industrial applications. A major aspect of the workshop is to enable better communication between different types of scientists – those who arrive at geometric questions by appropriate modeling and analysis, and those who develop sound tools for the simulation of such systems – so they can tackle new challenges in this research area.

Speakers

• Basil Audoly, Institut Polytechnique de Paris
• Soeren Bartels, University of Freiburg
• Lucas Bouck, Carnegie Mellon University
• Antonio DeSimone, International School for Advances Studies
• Efi Efrati, Weizmann Institute of Science
• Patrick Farrell, University of Oxford
• Alain Goriely, University of Oxford
• Diane Guignard, University of Ottawa
• Richard James, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Randall Kamien, University of Pennsylvania
• Marta Lewicka, University of Pittsburgh
• Huan Liu, California Institute of Technology
• Daniele Panozzo, New York University
• Martin Rumpf, University of Bonn
• Ian Tobasco, University of Michigan
• Epifanio Virga, University of Pavia
• Axel Voigt, TU Dresden

Poster:

Coming soon…