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           COLLOQUIUM OF THE COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS SCIENCE CENTER
                              College of Science
                       (CDS Department CSI 898-Sec 001)
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    Understanding stochastic events in microstructure evolution
                         Maria Emelianenko
   Department of Mathematics, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Preparing a texture suitable for a given purpose is a central problem 
in materials science, which presents many challenges for mathematical 
modeling, simulation, and analysis. In recent years we have witnessed 
a changing paradigm in the materials laboratory with the introduction 
of automated data acquisition technologies. This has permitted a more 
accurate characterization of materials properties and the collection 
of statistics on a vast scale, both of which pave the road to a better 
understanding of the way materials evolve in nature and to optimizing 
aspects of material behavior to better fit technological needs.

In this talk, I will focus on the mesoscopic behavior of a model grain 
boundary system and on understanding the role of topological 
reconfigurations during evolution. We have explored several evolution 
equations based on pure probabilistic and stochastic descriptions and 
compared against the results provided by large-scale simulations and 
experiments. The advantages and limitations, numerical characteristics 
and possible extensions of these approaches to higher dimensions will 
be discussed.

                        Monday, April 14, 2008
                                  4:30 pm
                     Room 301, Research I, Fairfax Campus

Refreshments will be served at 4:15 PM.
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Find the schedule at www.cmasc.gmu.edu/seminar/schedule.html
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