08:30 to 10:00 Registration 10:00 to 11:00 Some unresolved issues in pattern-forming non-equilibrium systems This talk will present experimental results about a number of phenomena in pattern-forming non-equilibrium systems that have not yet been elucidated fully from a theoretical viewpoint. The issues to be addressed include critical phenomena near the bifurcation to electro-convection in nematic liquid crystals, wave-number selection in Rayleigh-Benard convection (RBC), the appearance of square patterns near onset in rotating RBC, and the scaling of correlation lengths near onset in systems with supercritical bifurcations to spatio-temporal chaos. INI 1 11:00 to 11:30 Coffee 11:30 to 12:30 Pattern formation in dense granular flow on an inclined plane Experimental results are presented for the periodic patterns formed in flowing granular media on a rough planar surface that was steeply inclined at 41.3$^\circ$ with respect to horizontal. The surface height profile was measured using laser deflection and the velocity field was determined simultaneously using particle image velocimetry. We demonstrate that the structure of the local flow making up the stripes has height maxima for fast flowing regions, that the amplitude of the pattern evolves over downstream length scales that are 50-100 times the lateral wave length, and that the thickness at which the flow becomes unstable to the formation of lateral stripes is quite close to the thickness at which the flow does not have an average terminal velocity. INI 1 12:30 to 13:30 Lunch at Wolfson Court 14:00 to 15:00 Homological characterization of complex spatiotemporal patterns Many physical systems exhibit complex spatio-temporal behaviors that are difficult to characterize. We describe an approach that uses topological tools (specifically, computational homology) to connect experimentally observed structures to underlying dynamics. As a specific example, we will discuss homological characterizations of spiral defect chaos, a weakly turbulent state of Rayleigh-Benard convection. We observe asymmetries between hot and cold flows and show novel measures of boundary influence and indicators of system control parameters. We also find the evolution of the global structure of the flow to be primarily stochastic unlike the locally chaotic signatures reported previously. INI 1 15:00 to 15:30 Tea 15:30 to 16:30 Insights from large scale numerical simulations of Rayleigh-Benard convection Experiments on Rayleigh-Bénard Convection have played an important role in the development of our understanding of pattern formation and spatiotemporal chaos. In this talk I will review the work of the Caltech-Argonne-Duke-Virginia Tech collaboration using large scale numerical simulations of experimentally realistic geometries to complement past and ongoing experimental work, and to gain new insights into these phenomena. Topics covered will include pattern chaos in small systems, Lyapunov exponents, mean flow, and domain chaos. INI 1 16:30 to 17:30 Poster session 1 17:30 to 18:30 Wine and Beer reception 18:45 to 19:30 Dinner at Wolfson Court (Residents only)