AERC 2014: Annual European Rheological Conference in Karlsruhe

AERC 2014: Annual European Rheological Conference in Karlsruhe

The Annual European Conference 2014 was organized by two research groups of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the one of Prof. Dr. Norbert Willenbacher (MVM) and the one of Prof. Dr. Manfred Wilhelm (ITCP). The conference from 8 to 11 April 2014 took place in the Stadthalle of the Karlsruhe Convention Center.

About 450 participants and visitors came to the AERC 2014. Engineers, scientists, educators and researchers not only from Europe, but from 43 nations all over the world converged to share ideas and advance knowledge in rheology. The 252 presentations were organized in six parallel sessions and complemented by three plenary lectures. Furthermore, there was a poster exhibition and a poster session with more than 150 posters. The industrial exhibition with 14 exhibitors included major rheological companies.


Photos: All photos presented on these pages are copyright by the ITCP or the MVM.

         

Welcome to the conference center
On Tuesday evening the conference started with a welcome reception and early registration in the spacious entrance hall. The same day about 60 participants had already met in three short courses which focused on current topics of rheology (Non-linear and Fourier-Transform Rheology, Rheology of Micro- and Nanostructured Polymers, Microrheology). The foyer of the Stadthalle offered plenty of space for the reception tables, the coffee bars and a large industrial exhibition providing a comfortable environment for lively discussions and firsthand information.

         

Scientific program
Due to its central location in Europe, Karlsruhe attracted an unprecedented number of 441 rheologists attending the AERC 2014. Additionally, there were short-time visitors from industry and people from the organizing groups. The oral presentations took place in six parallel sessions. Plenary lectures were given by Prof. Dr. Stephan Herminghaus (MPI Göttingen), Prof. Dr. Erich J. Windhab (ETH Zürich) and Prof. Dr. Dimitri Vlassopoulos (FORTH, Greece). The conference started on Wednesday morning with the words of the president of the European Society of Rheology (ESR), Prof. Dr. Mats Stading (Photo1), an introduction by the two conference chairs, Prof. Dr. Manfred Wilhelm and Prof. Dr. Norbert Willenbacher (Photo 2+3), a welcome of Dr. Margret Mergen, the deputy mayor of Karlsruhe and Prof. Dr. Detlef Löhe, the vice-president of the KIT.

                   

Poster Presentation
In addition to oral presentations, there was a poster exhibition and a poster presentation with more than 150 posters. It took place in a supplementary hall of the conference center which was available for the posters throughout the conference. On Wednesday evening, there were two hours booked for the poster session providing time to all participants to look and discuss, meet and greet in a relaxed atmosphere. A poster prize sponsored by the scientific journal EPL was awarded to three talented young PhD students: Viviane Lutz Bueno, Kate Gurnon, and Johannes Krückel.

         

Conference Dinner
Another highlight at the AERC 2014’s social program was the conference dinner taking place in the ZKM, the well-known center for art and media in Karlsruhe. The evening started with a concert of the KIT chamber orchestra. Then dinner was served in the foyer of the ZKM.

                 

ZKM
After dinner, all participants were invited to visit the unique media art exhibition of the ZKM either by themselves or in the company of a ZKM museum scout.