What’s the latest in soft matter and application? And how can it be of service to your formulations? A high-brow Summer School, jointly organized by Georgetown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), CNRS, ENS Lyon, and L2C Montpellier, has vowed to answer these questions and more.

To be held in the summer of 2024 from July 23 to August 2 at the Institut des Etudes Scientifiques (IES) in Cargèse, Corsica

(France), “this summer school will provide lectures on all aspects of soft matter, including texture, consistency, flow properties,” explains physicist Thibaut Divoux, researcher scientist at CNRS and ENS Lyon, and part of the organizing committee. “As such, these lectures will tackle relevant concepts for various applications, including cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. In particular, the summer school will gather world experts on emulsions & foams, gelling agents & rheology modifiers, nail polish formulation, surface science & adhesion, and rheology–texture–sensory
relations,” Divoux tells BEAUTYSTREAMS.

Alongside covering the key building blocks of soft matter, i.e., polymers and colloids, which can be used to formulate dispersions, gels, composites, and soft glassy materials, the summer school will provide the basics of structural & mechanical characterization, and multiscale modeling, from MD simulations, to continuum mechanics thanks to a high-ranking roster of speakers, including Emanuela Del Gado (Georgetown Univ.), Jan Vermant (ETH Zürich), and Gareth McKinley (MIT).

The program will further include a series of more advanced classes focusing on food-related topics, e.g., products composed of proteins, polysaccharides and fat, and tackle textural attributes of food as well as related industrial processes. Some practical soft matter food science demonstrations are also on the menu.

Additionally, time slots will be reserved for informal exchanges on topics of interest to the participants, “allowing for productive one-on-one discussions,” specifies Divoux. Cue brainstorming on future products, or just meeting with potential new collaborators.

Practical information, including the list of speakers, registration fees, and lodging info, can be found on the following website: https://softfood.sciencesconf.org/

Registration is open to all, including both industrial and academic participants, but is limited to 76 attendees.

Source article: Softfood