AUS physics conference to discuss Mars mission and nanotechnology

The international space missions to Mars, elementary particle physics and nanotechnology will be some of the matters discussed at the Frontiers in Theoretical and Applied Physics conference (FTAPS 2017) to be held at American University of Sharjah (AUS), February 22-25. Organized by the Department of Physics, the international conference is in partnership with the Emirates Mars Mission and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).

FTAPS 2017 is the first conference in the region to be endorsed by the American Physical Society (APS), the Material Research Society (MRS), the Institute of Physics in the UK (IOP) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and will feature around 300 scientists from more than 45 countries presenting a wide range of subjects.

The conference will include key experts and renowned speakers from prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Cambridge, National Research Council of Canada, University of California, University of Michigan, Texas A&M, Max Planck Institutes (Heidelberg, Munich, Dresden), Singapore National University, University of Tokyo, US National Science Foundation, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Science, among many others.

Dr. Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor of AUS said, "This international conference reflects our university's commitment towards pursuing and promoting disciplines that will play an important role in the future progress and development of the region. We are pleased to welcome renowned experts from universities across the world to our campus and hope that this event is the beginning of a dialogue that turns into a long and mutually beneficial relationship."

According to Dr. Ali Sami Alnaser, Head of the AUS Department of Physics, "FTAPS 2017 is especially important as it will address cutting-edge research in the areas of materials science, laser science applications, nuclear, space and astrophysics. The conference comes at a time when AUS is heading into a research-oriented direction and establishing new graduate studies. FTAPS 2017 aims to promote scientific exchange and development of novel ideas in science with a particular accent on interdisciplinary research. It bring together worldwide experts and promising young scientists working on experimental and theoretical aspects on new frontiers of physics and their applications in the 21st century."

Presentations at FTAPS 2017 will include a new method to achieve light trapping in thin-film devices based on metallic nanostructures, data storage, and the technology of lasers and their applications in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Also addressed will be the physics of stars and galaxies, and lead scientists from the European, American, Asian and Indian space missions will share their findings and discuss the opportunities and challenges of future space missions in relevance to the Emirates Mars mission in 2021.

Registration for the conference is now open. More information can be found at www.aus.edu/FTAPS2017.