Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff / Welcome from the GRC Chair
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm
Soft Robotics, Biomedicine and Nanotechnology
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm
Opening Remarks
7:45 pm - 8:15 pm
"Magnetically Controlled LCE Microstructures"
8:15 pm - 8:20 pm
Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:50 pm
"Active Nematics, Elastic Highways and Defect Parking Lots"
8:50 pm - 8:55 pm
Discussion
8:55 pm - 9:25 pm
"Micro/Nano Containers from Cellulose-Based Anisotropic Responsive Structures"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Biology, Biomimetic Motors and Active Matter
9:00 am - 9:30 am
"Active Topological Defects in Biological Systems"
9:30 am - 9:40 am
Discussion
9:40 am - 10:10 am
"Topological Defects in Active Liquid Crystals"
10:10 am - 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am
Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:20 am
"Structure and Dynamics of Three-Dimensional Active Nematics"
11:20 am - 11:30 am
Discussion
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
"Collective Behavior of Cells and Topological Defects"
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm
Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm
General Discussion: Challenges and Opportunities at the Interfaces of Liquid Crystal and Life Sciences
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
From Chemistry to New Phases and Applications
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm
"Complex Smectic Structures from Achiral Molecules"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm
"Emerging Chirality from Non-Chiral Materials"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm
"Design of Columnar Quasi Crystals and Their Approximants"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Colloids, Interfaces and Self-Assembly
9:00 am - 9:30 am
"Coupling Between Flow and Orientational Order in Suspensions of Magnetic Platelets"
9:30 am - 9:40 am
Discussion
9:40 am - 10:10 am
"Directed Self-Assembly into Low-Density Colloidal Liquid Crystal Phases"
10:10 am - 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am
Group Photo / Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:20 am
"The Effect of Polymer Addition on Liquid-Crystalline Suspensions of Nanosheets"
11:20 am - 11:30 am
Discussion
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
"Moving Interfaces in Active and Passive Nematics"
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm
Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm
General Discussion: Liquid Crystals for Unexpected Applications: From Quantum Computing to Outer Space Exploration
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
From Mesoscale Structure to Physical Behavior
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm
"Mesoscale Order in Liquid Crystalline Block Copolymers"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm
"Soft Dielectric Materials for Sensing and Energy Harvesting Applications"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm
"Effects of Twist Elastic Anisotropy on Structure and Dynamics in Chromonic LCs"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
9:00 am - 9:30 am
"Nematic Twist-Bend Phase from Landau-deGennes Perspective"
9:30 am - 9:40 am
Discussion
9:40 am - 10:10 am
"Disclination Turbulence: From Defect Dynamics to Macroscopic Scaling Laws"
10:10 am - 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am
Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:20 am
"Topography Change in Light-Responsive, Programmed LC Solids for Micro-Machines and Soft Robotics"
11:20 am - 11:30 am
Discussion
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
"Intrinsic Shape and Stripes for Liquid Crystalline Polymersomes and Vesicles"
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm
Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm
General Discussion: What Other Liquid Crystals Await to Be Discovered?
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Symmetry, Geometry and Topology
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm
"Topological Defects in Colloidal Self-Assemblies: Visualization and Role in Chirality Transfer"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm
"Defect Topology in Active Nematics"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm
"Structure and Dynamics of Nematic Tactoids"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Business Meeting
Nominations for the Next Vice Chair; Fill in Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Site and Scheduling Preferences; Election of the Next Vice Chair
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Light and Responsive Matter
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:40 am
"Photoalignment as a Tool to Generate Bulk Liquid Crystal Topologies"
9:40 am - 9:55 am
Discussion
9:55 am - 10:30 am
Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:05 am
"Re-Moulding Photo-Actuators Made of LC Vitrimers"
11:05 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:55 am
"Photonic Elements for Micro Robotics and Deformable Photonic Structures that Respond to Light"
11:55 am - 12:10 pm
Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm
General Discussion: Liquid Crystals 50 Years from Now
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Polymers, Surfactants and Gels
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm
"David vs. Goliath: Tailoring Soft Matter Through Charges: From Crosslinkers for Hydrogels to Ionic Liquid Crystals"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm
"New Materials from the Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystalline Phase of Cellulose Nanocrystals"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm
"Controlling the Stimulus Response of Liquid Crystal Elastomers in 3D on the Microscale and the Macroscale"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
Departure