3: On the mesoscale science frontier in materials theory and simulation

3rd MARVEL Distinguished Lecture (MDL) - Sidney Yip Recorded on August 31, 2015. Apologies for the bad audio for the first minute, it ends at 0:00:55. Abstract — A frontier in theory, modeling and simulation of materials exists at the mesoscale. The challenge is to predict and explain properties and behavior at the macroscale (usually from experiments) using model and simulation at the nano-level. At stake is the determination of the controlling mechanisms and the ability to manipulate the functionality of specific materials. Conceptually it is also the key to expand on the notion of self-organized criticality. We consider examples of materials aging phenomena where the challenge lies in dealing with the slow dynamics involved and bridging time scales in multiscale and multiphysics simulations. These examples include glass viscosity, creep in crystalline and amorphous solids, and cement setting and durability. About the speaker — After receiving all his degrees at the University of Michigan, Sidney Yip served on the MIT faculty for 50 years, the last five as emeritus, with research first in theoretical studies of particle and fluid transport, and later in atomistic modeling and simulation of materials. A Fellow of the American Physical Society, he has received awards from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Journal of Nuclear Materials. Recently he completed a text Nuclear Radiation Interactions (World Scientific, Singapore, 2014).