Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute (PASI) on

Modern Challenges in Statistical Mechanics II

an extension of the PASI held in Bariloche in June 2002

PASI's (Panamerican Advanced Study Institutes) are two-week events sponsored jointly by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy in order to bring together advanced students and senior scientists of international standing, all from the Americas, with an aim to stimulate the participants intellectually, disseminate modern scientific knowledge, and, through these activities, to enhance the potential for international collaborations of a Panamerican nature.

The PASI we organized in June 2002 in Bariloche had "Modern Challenges in Statistical Mechanics" as its general subject. The extension to be held in Albuquerque during the period March 13-20, 2004 will focus on the same subject and provide a hands-on experience on current topics. The period in the extension of the PASI is shorter and the number of participants much smaller to allow a highly interactive experience.

Our aim in organizing the original PASI as well as its extension is to allow bright students to witness first hand—and to learn from the witnessing—how scientists of international standing involved in cross-cutting investigations in science operate: how they learn one another's language, how they modify their own tools for the requirements of other disciplines, how they solve the problem of the tower of Babel (communication confusion) inevitable in serious interdisciplinary investigations, and how, in fact, progress is made. Our hope is also that the lecturers, who are outstanding authorities in their respective fields, might derive benefit from having to explain the tools of their trade to bright fresh minds. Bringing together scholars and students from a variety of countries will obviously help in the globalization of the intellectual enterprise.

We encourage all interested in the PASI extension to contact Adriana Recalde at adrirec@as.unm.edu or
(505)277-0848

Participants confirmed to date

Guillermo Abramson (Centro Atómico Bariloche, Argentina)
Alejandra Aguirre (Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Igor Aronson (Argonne National Laboratory, USA)
Pablo Balenzuela (Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Gabriel Caballero (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico)
David Dunlap (University of New Mexico, USA)
Flor Espinoza (University of New Mexico, USA)
Miguel Fuentes (Centro Atómico Bariloche, Argentina)
Luca Giuggioli (University of New Mexico, USA)
Sebastian Goncalves (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)
Roberto Iglesias (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)
Matias Ison (Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina)
V. M. Kenkre (University of New Mexico, USA)
Fabiana Laguna (Centro Atómico Bariloche, Argentina)
Katja Lindenberg (University of California at San Diego)
Bruce Milne (University of New Mexico, USA)
Henry Moncada (University of New Mexico, USA)
Fernando Oliveira (Universidade de Brasilia, Brazil)
Rosario Paredes (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico)
Paul Parris (University of Missouri at Rolla, USA)
Ignacio Peixoto (Centro Atómico Bariloche, Argentina)
Martin Perez (University of California at San Diego, USA)
Michael Raghib (Escuela Colombiana de Ingenieria, Colombia)
Victor Romero Rochin (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico)
Lev Tsimring (University of California at San Diego, USA)
Jose Vallejos (Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay)