An ECI Conference Series
October 6-11, 2024
Giardini Naxos, Messina (Sicily), Italy
ITC Grants for Young Researchers
About This Conference
This conference will bring together people working in the field of nano- and micromechanical testing in materials research and innovation. The mechanical behavior of materials is typically controlled by processes that span several length, temperature and time scales. There has been a rapid expansion of available testing strategies in recent years to examine elastic, plastic, fracture and fatigue properties at multiple length scales, with control of loading mode, temperature and atmosphere, including imaging during deformation and using a multitude of available signals. This conference brings together the research community working in the field of experimental mechanics with a focus on nano- and micro-mechanical testing and a special emphasis on bridging observations across multiple length scales, coupling them with modelling and using new methods from data science. In particular, this includes:
- Novel Nanoindentation and nanomechanical testing methods
Using novel nanoindentation hardware and data analysis techniques to explore properties of complex material with improved sensitivity and resolution.
- Multiscale deformation and failure mechanisms (from atomic to meso-scale)
Bridging observations of mechanical deformation and failure across multiple length scales. - In-situ and Operando nanomechanics
In-situ deformation studies in SEM, TEM, AFM, optical microscopy, X-Ray, neutron and electron characterization (both imaging and diffraction). - Correlative mechanical microscopy
Correlative mechanical microscopy using different probes (photon, phonon, electron, ion, or combinations), to understand deformation processes in advanced structural materials. - Nanomechanics in extreme conditions
Nano- and micromechanical tests in extreme environments (e.g., high temperature, cryogenic, etc.) or non-conventional loading conditions (e.g., high strain rate, nano-tribology), including testing under service conditions (operando). - Complex strain measurement methods and advanced data analysis
The post processing of the data, including full field measurements by image and volume correlation, as well as time-resolved experiments to unravel dynamic processes far from equilibrium. - Integrated modelling and characterization
Integration with modeling for mechanistic discovery, experimental interpretation, parameter calibration, or model validation. - Artificial Intelligence for nanomechanics
Application of artificial intelligence, data-driven methods and materials informatics in materials science in the context of materials’ deformation at the nano- and microscale. - Application of nanomechanics to industrially relevant materials and devices
Application of novel micro-nanoscale mechanical testing methods to emerging and/or industrially relevant materials (energy materials, advanced composites and polymers, advanced coatings, biomedical and bio-mimetic materials, 3D printed materials).
Besides hardness, time dependent properties, phase transformations, fracture phenomena and toughness can be quantitatively evaluated with the new test methods. For many applications, the temperature and rate dependence and other environmental parameters, such as exposure to aggressive atmosphere or radiation, are of great interest. These nano- and micromechanical testing techniques will help in the development of design concepts for materials based on their local mechanical properties and underlying deformation mechanisms.
This conference will bring together scientists and industrial stakeholders working in the field of nano- and micromechanical testing in materials research. It will provide a forum for discussion of the latest activities in application of nano- and micromechanical testing methods.
Special Announcement
On October 10, 2024 on the Etna Volcano, Wojceich Dera (IPPT PAN, Poland) asked the love of his life, Ewelina Nowicka, to marry him, and… SHE SAID YES!!
Conference Awards for 24AN
Young Researchers Oral Presentations
1st Place (tie)
A new approach for in-situ electrochemical nanoindentation: side charging as a promising alternative Stefan Zeiler, Department of Materials Science, Montanuniversität Leoben, Leoben, Austria
High strain rate nanoindentation of fused silica, silicon, and nanocrystalline nickel
Lalith Kumar Bhaskar, Max-Planck-Institute for Sustainable Materials, Germany
2nd place
From heat to hardness: Probing phase changes in pd-based alloy with high-temperature nanoindentation
Lea A. Lumper, Montanuniversität Leoben, Leoben, Austria
Poster Awards
Comprehensive micro-scale investigation of deformation mechanisms in superplastic biodegradable Zn alloys
Wiktor Bednarczyk, Warsaw University of Technology, Poland
(Poster #5) Monday – Best Poster 2nd Place
Promotion of the plastic deformability of high-strength Al2O3-GdAlO3 ceramics through refined eutectic microstructure
Yuta Aoki, The University of Tokyo, Japan
(Poster #9) Monday – Poster Preview 1st Place
Hydrogen-induced hardening effect and the diffusion behavior in bcc FeCr alloys by in situ nanoindentation
Jing Rao, Max Planck-Institute for Sustainable Materials, Germany
(Poster #16) Wednesday – Best Poster 1st Place
Understanding the plasticity of silicon at high temperatures and small length scales
Gerald J. K. Schaffar, Department Materials Science, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria
(Poster #24) Wednesday –Poster Preview 1st Place and Best Poster Award 2nd Place
High strain rate nanoindentation on a low angle grain boundary in copper
Hendrik Holz, Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials, Germany
(Poster #31) Monday –Best Poster Award 1st Place and Poster Preview 2nd Place
High-temperature micropillar compression of hematite: Insights and experimental challenges
Shreehard Sahu, Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials, Germany
(Poster #35) Monday –Best Poster Award 1st Place
Mechanical properties of performance-critical regions in hard ceramic thin films correlated with nanoscale gradients of residual stresses and microstructure
Kevin Kutlesa, Chair of Materials Physics, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria
(Poster #52) Wednesday –Best Poster Award 2nd Place
Deformation of silicon oxides under electron-beam irradiation and its atomistic mechanisms
Sung-Gyu Kang, Gyeongsang National University, Korea
(Poster #64) Wednesday – Best Poster Award 3rd Place
Analyzing the effect of cyclic loading on microstructural changes using micro-cantilever and indentation Fatigue in NC and SC Ni
Jutta Luksch, Materials Science and Methods, Saarland University, Germany
(Poster #66) Wednesday – Best Poster Award 3rd Place
Doping-regulated room-temperature dislocation plasticity in SrTiO3: A multiscale approach
Chukwudalu Okafor, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany(Poster #71) Monday – Best Poster Award 2nd Place
Conference Organization
Conference Chair
Marco Sebastiani, Universita degli studi Roma Tre, Italy
Steering Committee
Gerhard Dehm, Planck Institute for Iron Research, Germany
Karsten Durst, Technical University Darmstadt, Germany
Mathias Göken, University Erlangen-Nurnberg, Germany
Sandra Korte-Kerzel, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Marc Legros, CEMES-CNRS, France
Johann Michler, EMPA, Switzerland
Jon Molina-Aldareguia, IMDEA Materials Institute, Spain
George M. Pharr, Texas A&M University, USA
Plenary and Invited Speakers
Plenary Speakers
Irene J. Beyerlein
Engineering II, Room 2339
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5070
Gerhard Dehm
Director, Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung
Department Structure and Nano- / Micromechanics of Materials
Invited Speakers
Erik Bitzek
Computational Materials Design – Microstructure & Mechanics
Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung
Germany
Daniel Gianola
Mechanical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
USA
Diletta Giuntini
Mechanical Engineering
Eindhoven University of Technology
Netherlands
Andrea Hodge
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
University of Southern California
USA
Ulrich Kerzel
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Materials and|
Geoscience Fakultät für Georessourcen und Materialtechnik
RWTH Aachen University
Germany
Daniel Kiener
Department of Materials Science
Montanuniversität Leoben
Austria
Benoit Merle
Institute of Materials Engineering
Mechanical Behavior of Materials
University of Kassel
Germany
Atsutomo Nakamura
Department of Mechanical Science and Bioengineering
Osaka University
Japan
Thomas Pardoen
Research Center in Architectured and Composite Materials, ARCOMAT
Universite´ Catholique de Louvain
Belgium
Sudarshan Phani
International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New
Materials (ARCI), Balapur
India
Carlos Portela
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
USA
Barbara Putz
Department of Materials Science
Montanuniversität Leoben
Austria
Rajaprakash Ramachandramoorthy
Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH
Structures and Micro/Nano Mechanics Department
Germany
Jean-Charles Stinville
Materials Science and Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
USA
Steven Van Petegem
Paul Scherrer Institut
Switzerland
Céline Varvenne
Centre Interdisciplinaire des Nanosciences de Marseille
UMR 7325 CNRS – Aix Marseille Univ.
France
Jeffrey Wheeler
FemtoTools AG
ETH Zurich
Switzerland
MecaNano Tutorial Session
Verena Maier-Kiener
Department of Materials Science
Montanuniversitat ¨ Leoben
Leoben 8700, Austria
Edoardo Rossi
Università degli studi Roma Tre
Department of Civil, Computer Science and Aeronautical Engineering
Rome, Italy
Conference Program and Poster List
MecaNano Tutorials
The deadline to apply for travel refunds has been extended to August 19, 2024.
A tutorial session on nanomechanical testing techniques will be held on Sunday, October 6, from 10:00 to 13:00, before the ECI conference. COST MecaNano organizes this session, which provides valuable training funded by the European Union.
The deadline to apply for travel refunds has been extended to August 19, 2024. These refunds are available to Europe-based PhD students / early career researchers (within eight years of PhD award) and COST ITC researchers and female researchers.
To be eligible for the travel refund, applicants must attend the MecaNano tutorial session and be members of MecaNano. If you are not yet a member, join at:
https://e-services.cost.eu/action/CA21121/working-groups/apply by creating a login and password and applying to at least one working group.
To request a travel refund, message Dr. Marie-Stéphane Colla at marie-stephane.colla@uclouvain.be by the extended deadline. The travel refunds cover long-distance transportation to and from the conference and a daily allowance for the training session. The ECI conference fee is not included. Funding decisions will follow COST recommendations and be made in the weeks after the deadline.
ITC Grant Information for Young Researchers
Call for Abstracts
Oral Presentation Abstract Submission Deadline:May 1, 2024
Poster Presentation Abstract Submission Deadline:May 15, 2024
Abstracts (one page maximum) that include specific results and conclusions to allow a scientific assessment of the proposed oral presentation or poster are invited.
Please prepare your abstract according to this template: docx or doc and submit it electronically HERE.
Abstracts of all presentations will be made available to conference participants prior to the start of the conference.
Poster Presenter Guidelines
Poster dimensions: 1.0 meter wide x 1.5 meter high (portrait style)
Poster Preparation Guidelines [DOC]
Note: Only a limited number of oral presentation slots are available and thus all submissions for oral sessions will be considered for both oral and poster presentation.
ALL PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE AND INVITED SPEAKERS) ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER.
Conference Fees
ALL PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE AND INVITED SPEAKERS) ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER.
The conference fee includes the following: conference registration, accommodations (nights of Sunday (October 6), Monday (October 7), Tuesday (October 8), Wednesday (October 9), and Thursday (October 10); check-out on Friday morning (October 11)), all meals, coffee breaks and social hours during poster sessions, excursion, and taxes from welcome reception/dinner on Sunday (October 6) through breakfast on Friday (October 11). Incidental fees (laundry, minibar, spa, etc.) are billed to your personal account by the hotel.
If you plan to arrive prior to Sunday or stay at the hotel after the conference, please indicate your pre/post conference room reservations request during registration. ECI does not guarantee pre/post conference reservations. ECI is collecting your pre/post conference reservation requests for the hotel. The hotel will ask for your credit card information at the time of arrival to pay for the pre/post conference night reservations.
(Only Sunday-Thursday nights are included in the conference fee.)
Note: Pre/Post night reservations are based upon hotel’s availability. Cancellation policy is 3 days before the arrival date.
For those attending the MecaNano Tutorial Session, we recommend booking a room for Saturday night and registering early as space is limited. This booking is in addition to the conference fee will include breakfast at the hotel. Lunch, however, is NOT included.
The conference fees are:
| Register on or before Sept 5, 2024 | Register after Sept 5, 2024 | |
| Participant (single occupancy or sharing room with a guest; guest fee additional) | US $2,545 | US $2,745 |
| Participant (sharing a room with another participant) | US $2,340 | US $2,540 |
| Bona fide Graduate Student (sharing a room with another student) (Those in this category must upload proof of current status during registration – copy of current Student ID or a letter from your University confirming your student status) | US $1,930 | US $2,130 |
| **Fees for Guest/accompanying person sharing bedroom with a participant. (Includes all conference included meals and excursion) | US $965 | US $965 |
If you plan to bring children to the conference, please contact Renee Smith for pricing.
Conference Registration
You will need a login name and password to register for ECI conferences through our online system. If you have been a recent participant at an ECI conference or have submitted an online application or request for information about an ECI Conference, you may already have an account with us. If you know your login information, please use it.
If you are not sure whether you already have a login and password, please click on automated password retrieval and enter your e-mail address before creating a new account. If we don’t have a valid email address on file for you, a pop-up window will appear stating that no records were found. Click “OK” and then follow the instructions to create a new account.
If you have any questions or experience any difficulties, please email Renee Smith.
Special Notes and Payment Instructions
We suggest that you register as soon as possible to be certain that you will have a hotel room at the conference rate.
All participants are encouraged to register before September 5, 2024. There is a discounted price for registering before this date. Hotel space cannot be guaranteed for registrations received after this date. Your registration is not officially confirmed until we receive payment of the amount due. ECI reserves the right to cancel your room registration if payment is not received or your vaccination proof is invalid. Your invoice/receipt will automatically be e-mailed upon of receipt of your registration. Should you need a signed receipt, please contact Renee Smith.
Because of contractual guarantees made with the hotel for room and meal functions, no shows, late arrivals, missed meals and early departures cannot receive fee adjustments. If you have a disability and may require accommodation in order to participate fully in this conference, please indicate this when you register. An ECI representative will contact you to discuss your specific needs. If you have special dietary requirements (e.g., vegetarian or a food allergy), please make a note on your registration. The chef needs to know this information in advance if we are to accommodate you. ECI will attempt to accommodate special requests such as Kosher or Halal meals, but such meals may not be available at all conference sites. The participant must pay any additional costs for special meal requests that ECI pays a surcharge for.
Payment must be made by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and Amex), check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. dollars, payable to ENGINEERING CONFERENCES INTERNATIONAL. Checks or money orders in any other currencies are NOT ACCEPTABLE. Payment must be made on the web site except for those who are sending payment by wire transfer or have a purchase order from their company/institution.
WIRE TRANSFER PAYMENT: If you are planning to make payment by wire transfer, please contact Renee Smith for the bank information. You must add US $30 to cover ECI bank charges. Please reference your full name and the conference title. Please email a scanned copy to Renee Smith. This is very important – otherwise it is extremely difficult to trace your payment and you may not receive a receipt prior to the conference.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation must be received by ECI in writing at least 28 days prior to the start of the conference in order for a full refund (less a processing fee) to be considered. The ECI auditors require that refunds for all conference cancellations be processed after the conference so that the necessary back-up information (e.g., hotel list of those in-house) can be attached to the refund request and ECI can verify that the hotel has not charged a cancellation fee.
Cancellation fees:
- Cancellations received more than 28 days prior to the conference start date are subject to a processing fee of 4% of the total fee, plus any direct expenses incurred by ECI.
- Cancellations received 15 – 28 days prior to the conference start date are subject to a $250 cancellation fee plus any direct expenses incurred by ECI.
- Cancellations received 8 – 14 days prior to the conference start date are subject to a $500 cancellation fee plus any direct expenses incurred by ECI.
- No refunds will be issued for cancellations received less than 7 days prior to the conference start date.
- No refunds will be issued due to inclement weather or travel disruptions/cancellations.
Registrations may be transferred without incurring any penalty or cancellation fee.
Denied or delayed visa
If a participant is forced to cancel due to a denied or delayed entry visa, ECI will issue a full refund if ECI has been notified of a potential visa issue at least four weeks prior to the conference start date.
Change of payment method
If an attendee who has already paid the conference fee with a credit card requests that the fee be refunded to that card so that it can be paid in a different manner (e.g., charged to an alternate credit card, or paid via check or bank transfer), a processing fee of 4% of the total fee amount will apply.
Disclaimer
It may be necessary for reasons beyond the control of ECI to alter the content and timing of the program or the identity of the speakers. In the unfortunate circumstance that an event is cancelled, ECI is not liable for any costs incurred by participants in connection with their attendance.
Smoking is prohibited at ECI conferences and conference functions.
Should you have specific questions regarding your registration, please contact Renee Smith.
Sponsors
Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsor Packages
Package A: $1,650
- Name of company on Sponsor List in Program
- Company logo displayed on screen between sessions
Package B: $2,750
- Half-page ad in program booklet
- Name of Company on Sponsor List in Program
- Company Logo displayed on screen between sessions
- Company logo & link on conference website
Package C: $3,850
- Table to display company information
- Full page ad in program
- Name of company Sponsor List in Program
- Company Logo & link on conference website
- Company Logo displayed on screen between sessions
Package D: $5,500
- Table to display company information
- Promotional Poster Presentation during conference poster sessions
- Large company logo and link on conference website
- Full page ad in program
- Company logo displayed on screen between sessions
- Name of company on sponsor list in program
ECI Associate Director Kevin Korpics (kevin@engconfintl.org) may be contacted for invoicing or other questions. Payment can be made via check, bank transfer or credit card*. Please reference the conference title or code (24-AN) when making payment.
Please note that none of the sponsor packages include free or discounted registrations for attendees from sponsor companies. Attendees from sponsor companies are required to pay the conference fee as well.
*A 3.5% processing fee will be applied to credit card payments
Conference Venue
Sicily: Sicily is the largest and most populous island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy. The Strait of Messina divides Sicily from the “toe” of Italy’s boot. Sicily offers exceptional beaches, charming villages and towns, warm waters of the Mediterranean as well as a multitude of ancient ruins and archeological sites. Its geography is mostly hilly, with little flat land. Throughout history, Sicily has been at the crossroads of cultures, landscapes and cuisine.
Giardini Naxos: The small coastal town of Giardini Naxos is situated along a sandy beach that is quite popular for those seeking the sun. The area is very historic with the very first Greek settlers in Sicily landing here and colonizing what they called Naxos in 734 BC. (Naxos is a Greek island where, according to legend, Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods grew up.) The town was destroyed about 300 years later by neighboring Siracusa. The Naxos survivors then establish Taormina on the cliff, deeming it a safer location. There is a small archeological museum in Naxos that is surrounded by a park. Naxos has beautiful views of Mount Etna.
UNAHotel Naxos Beach: (Via Recanati 26, 98035 Giardini Naxos) The conference hotel has an excellent location in Giardini Naxos with extensive meeting facilities, several swimming pools, and a private beach o the Ionian Sear. The conference room has theater style seating (but with an adjustable tray for a laptop or a notepad). The meeting room boasts natural light and modern AV equipment. Conference participants will be housed in mini-villas (each having 4-units) that are spread through the private garden/citrus park on the property. There is ample space for posters and table-top exhibits. The hotel boasts a variety of guest services including free onsite parking, wireless internet, cable/satellite TV, refrigerator, mini-bar, fitness center, daily maid service, concierge, laundry/dry cleaning services, several shops, two tennis courts and a soccer field.
The nearest airport is the Catania “Fontanarossa” International airport that is approximately one hour from the hotel. When registration opens, ECI will make available through a local provider private shuttle transportation from and back to the airport for conference participants.
Theater
Conference Excursion: The conference excursion will be to Taormina with a visit to the Greek-Roman theater and free time to stroll the beautiful narrow streets and to have dinner own your own in one of the many restaurants in the city. The original theater was built by the Greeks in the third century BC, but much of what is visible today is a Roman upgrade. The most striking feature of this theater is how its stage frames the view of Mount Etna. The theater sits atop a rocky hill (earth), overlooking the sea (water), with a gentle breeze (air), and a volcano in the distance (fire). The semicircular rows of seats are arranged to give everyone an equally good view of the performers and to enhance the acoustics. The Romans removed the first ten rows of seas to create an area large enough for gladiator battles and also added a wall to protect spectators from the wild animals used in the games. The theater is still in use today. ECI will provide a list of recommended restaurants in Taormina.
Transportation From Catania Airport
Giardini Naxos is a popular town and resort situated just south of Taormina on the north-eastern coast of Sicily, about an hour from Catania. The closest airport to the hotel is Catania-Vincenzo Bellini Airport (CTA). It is 60 km from the hotel (about a one-hour drive).
You have several choices of transportation: Individual transfer, group transfer, train (and taxi), bus (and taxi), and rental car.
Nadia Davi (nadia.davi@liberty-int.com) of Liberty Travel, Italy is the contact person for those wanting to book transportation from the Catania Airport to the UNAHotel Naxos Beach. Do not contact her for train, bus or rental cars.
Individual and Group Transfers
You can choose an individual transfer or a group transfer. The group transfer will be organized by the expected time of arrival at Catania Airport within the range of one hour. For example, if two people are arriving at 11:30 am and 6 people are arriving at 12:00 pm, then the transfer would be 8 people. The rate of a “group” transfer is €50 per person for arrival hours between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm. For arrivals between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am there is a night supplement of €13.5 per person.
An individual transfer (for one – three persons) in a private vehicle with driver is €120. The night supplement is €27
Other requests will be quoted individually by Ms. Davi.
Ms. Davi will not be able to process requests during the 9-26 August timeframe.
Please use this form when contacting Ms. Davi.
By Train
The railway station is at the northeast end of Giardini’s seafront. There are trains approximately hourly from Messina and Catania. Both take just under one hour.
By Bus
Take the Interbus (the stop is on the right, exiting terminal A) for “Recanati – Giardini Naxos.” The information kiosk at the airport can give you directions to the bus stop. The timetables can be consulted directly at https://www.etnatrasporti.it/ The duration of the journey is approximately one hour. Tickets can be purchased at the kiosk near the bus stop. Once you arrive in Giardini Naxos, you can continue on foot to the hotel which is about 700 m away. Follow Viale Dionisio for about 50 m, turn right into Viale Jannuzzo and follow it for about 350 m, then turn into Via Recanati and then right into via Pietro Rizzo up to the hotel entrance.
By rental car from Catania Fontanarossa Airport
(About 55 minutes) The Catania-Messina Motorway (E45) passes town, exit at “Giardini Naxos” onto the main street, SS114. Note that there are tolls.
Google directions from Catania Fontanarossa Airport to UNAHotel Naxos Beach
Previous Conferences in this Series
Instrumented Indentation Testing in Materials Research & Development
October 9 – 15, 2005 – Crete, Greece
Conference Chairs:
George M. Pharr, University of Tennessee, USA
Carl McHargue, University of Tennessee, USA
Nanomechanical Testing in Materials Research & Development II
October 11 – 16, 2009 – Barga, Italy
Conference Chair:
Mathias Göken, University Erlangen-Nurnberg, Germany
Nanomechanical Testing in Materials Research & Development III
October 9 – 14, 2011 – Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
Conference Chair: Gerhard Dehm, University of Leoben, Austria
Nanomechanical Testing in Materials Research & Development IV
October 6 – 11, 2013 – Albufeira, Portugal
Conference Chair: Johann Michler, EMPA, Switzerland
Nanomechanical Testing in Materials Research & Development V
October 4-9, 2015 – Albufeira, Portugal
Conference Chair: Marc Legros, CEMES-CNRS, France
Nanomechanical Testing in Materials Research & Development VI
October 1-6, 2017 – Dubrovnik, Croatia
Conference Chair: Karsten Durst, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany
Nanomechanical Testing in Materials Research & Development VII
September 29-October 4, 2019 – Torremolinos/Malaga, Spain
Conference Chair: Jon Molina-Adlareguia, IMDEA Materials Institute, Spain
Nanomechanical Testing in Materials Research & Development VIII
October 2-7, 2022 – Split, Croatia
Conference Chair: Sandra Korte-Kerzel, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
General Information about ECI
Engineering Conferences International (ECI) is a not-for-profit, global engineering conferences program, originally established in 1962 that provides opportunities for the exploration of problems and issues of concern to engineers and scientists from many disciplines.
The format of the conference provides morning and late afternoon or evening sessions in which major presentations are made. Poster sessions will be scheduled for evening discussion as well. Available time is included during the afternoons for ad hoc meetings, informal discussions, and/or recreation. This format is designed to enhance rapport among participants and promote dialogue on the development of the meeting. We believe the conferences have been instrumental in generating ideas and disseminating information to a greater extent than is possible through more conventional forums.
All participants are expected both to attend the entire conference and to contribute actively to the discussions. The recording/photographing of lectures and presentations is forbidden. As ECI conferences take place in an informal atmosphere, casual clothing is the usual attire.
Smoking is prohibited at ECI conferences and conference functions.