Gordon Conference on Liquid Crystals 2015

The seclusion and serenity of Biddeford, Maine seems a more appropriate setting for a summer camp rather than a scientific conference, but that was the topic of conversation at the Gordon Research Conference on Liquid Crystals hosted at the University of New England. Liquid crystals are materials that flow like liquids, but have long-range order like crystals; responsive to both light and applied fields, they are a key component in displays, electronic paper, and, as we learned, artificial muscles and sensors. A small group of some of the field’s top researchers and current students gathered to the out-of-the-way campus to discuss cutting edge, often unpublished work driving the frontiers of the field. The packed itinerary for the weeklong conference was filled with multiple talks scheduled for the mornings and evenings, with posters sessions and free time activities in between. The result was a constant stream of new ideas and relationships that added a sense of realness to the experience of an undergraduate researcher. The GRC, while it did not feel like a traditional conference, provided many exciting opportunities for exposure to new scientific ideas as well as invaluable connections for newcomers in the science community.

The format and organization of the GRC is one of its most notable qualities. Rather than being a large conference at a major academic institution with thousands of attendees, the GRC stays small, with just over one hundred participants. This small scale and remote location encourages collaboration between participants, regardless of their research area, subfield, or status in the community. One of this year’s conference vice-chairs and established liquid crystal experimentalist, Professor Linda Hirst from the University of California, Merced told us that in her experience the large scientific conferences, with upwards of 10,000 attendees and concurrent presentations, tend to be very divided; attendees rarely talking with scientists from outside of their respective fields. She explained that the primary goals of the GRC are to encourage collaboration, get graduate students to talk to established professors, and to avoid cliquishness. Hirst saw this as distinct from larger conferences that serve primarily as a means for scientists to display their completed work. The secluded campus of UNE forces attendees, professors, and students from all backgrounds, to mingle over meals in the university dining halls and in residence halls due to lack of nearby restaurants, hotels, or tourist attractions. A prohibition against multiple presentations being delivered at once also guarantees that all attendees will be able to discuss the presentations with anyone else they meet. As any communication during the conference is considered private communication, all participants freely discuss unpublished, cutting edge research. Unlike in a large conference setting where having one’s experimental method or device copied is a concern, at the GRC everyone shared their findings and methods freely.

Hirst believed that the goals have been met remarkably well making the GRC a very useful asset to her scientific work. She attended her first Gordon conference as a graduate student at the Tilton School in New Hampshire in 1999. While she’s since attended other larger conferences, which usually have a few sections dedicated to Liquid Crystals, she has recently begun to only regularly attend the International Liquid Crystal Conference and the liquid crystal GRC. The reason for this being that she believed all the key players in the field are in attendance at the liquid crystal GRC. For the past several years one large group and individual that supply her with new materials and devices have attended. Two of the main theorists she works with to help explain her experimental findings regularly are in attendance. Prof. Linda Hirst began her professional involvement with one of said theorists, Dr. Robin Selinger at a previous GRC when she and Selinger spent an afternoon looking over Hirst’s data and working out a theory for the experiment together, which was soon after published in a scientific journal [1].

While the Gordon Conference holds an indispensable role for established members of the research community, its importance extends to its younger and less experienced ones as well. During the two days prior to the conference the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) is held, which is described as being “for students, by students,” and in many ways is a preparation for young people in the field to discuss their research and ask questions without the presence of more senior faculty. Zoey Davidson of the University of Pennsylvania and chair of the GRS, spoke of the benefits of the GRS and GRC for younger community members. When asked about helpful aspects of the conference, he commented that the GRS provided “an opportunity for students to ask questions without having too many intimidating professors around,” and the GRC as a whole created a “chance to really mull over discussion and ask multiple rounds of questions that frequently result in insight and new research ideas.” Additionally, Davidson commented that since the field of liquid crystals is at the intersection of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering, and the GRC brings together experts in all these fields there are “unique perspectives not fully realized when talking only to collaborators.” The GRC clearly possesses many tangible benefits as described by Davidson, yet its role as an inspiration to young researchers is also key. Davidson described the creativity of the research community as “amazing,” and noted that the ability to see brand new ideas and applications is an inspiring way to look at the research as a whole. Often students find themselves focused only on their own personal work. Seeing the progressive work of the greater community gives students a chance to appreciate both the impressive work of established members of the community and how their current work will advance the field.

In much the same manner that current members of the community, such as Davidson and Hirst, have benefitted from the conference, the authors encountered unique opportunities to collaborate at the GRC. Ian, a rising senior, models active liquid crystals on deformable surfaces. Knowing that many of the speakers would be presenting their research on contemporary active matter research, he attended the GRC hoping not only learn where the cutting edge research in these areas is being performed but to gain insight from experts in the field about his project. During the meeting Ian found researchers doing similar research to himself and has since shared relevant scientific journal publications related to the topic. A great moment was when Ian had the chance to discuss his poster, showing his modelling work, with one of the scientists who originally performed the experiment. Andrew, a rising junior, studies the packing of particles on curved surfaces. He attended the GRC and had the opportunity to discuss his work with experts tackling similar problems but taking very different approaches. Additionally, he built relationships with potential experimental collaborators who expressed interest in his work, as well as formed ideas about his potential future in physics. The GRC catalyzed these opportunities for both Ian and Andrew and provided a unique experience that surely will stick with them throughout their scientific careers.

In spite of the fact the authors benefitted greatly from attending this conference, the opportunity to attend the GRC traditionally has not been extended to undergraduate researchers. The authors had the unique opportunity of being the only undergraduate researchers attending this GRC. Reasoning for this may lie in the fact that GRC presentations expect a high level of understanding of much of the material presented there, something undergraduates do not have. Traditionally undergraduates attend larger conferences, with thousands of attendees and presentations on completed research. The authors can understand why undergraduates might avoid a high level conference such as the GRC, such as potential embarrassment in front of seasoned experts or inability to understand the topic material. Yet the authors found that being surrounded by high level presentations, which spent relatively little time introducing basic notation or principles, had the opposite effect. Far from being inaccessible, hearing experts talk about their research experience helped give new manners of visualizing or thinking about the physics that resulted in a deeper understanding not attainable elsewhere.

The GRC on liquid crystals is a unique conference whose commitment to collaboration and ongoing research make it an essential tool for students. The constant exposure to presentations on cutting edge research and  world-wide experts over the span of the week give a complete panorama of the contemporary theoretical, experimental and engineering work in the liquid crystal field. Even more crucially the conference gave Hirst and Davidson, as well as the present authors,  access to other students and experts, who out of curiosity or commitment to an ongoing project, want to collaborate and use their individual expertise to advance the field.