NATO Advanced Research Workshop looks at new exotic materials for civilian and defence use

  • 22 Feb. 2010 - 25 Feb. 2010
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  • Last updated: 08 Mar. 2010 15:04

From 22 to 25 February, some 300 scientists, experts and engineers from 41 countries gathered in Cairo, Egypt, at the conference “META’10” to examine how newly synthesized materials can benefit environmental sensing and information security, both in the civilian and military areas.

Participants in the workshop focused on the unusual characteristics and potential applications of “metamaterials” for addressing the challenges and demands of the modern world. Metamaterials are complex and exotic electromagnetic materials that do not exist in nature.

The event attracted top international researchers as well as their younger peers to strengthen connections among specialists in the area of metamaterial research. In addition to the mix of scientists and engineers, participants included theoreticians, computational and analytical modelling experts, experimentalists, application-oriented engineers, and administrators responsible for research funding.

Dr Deniz Yuksel-Beten, Head of NATO’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Section, talked about the opportunities for scientific and environmental cooperation in Mediterranean Dialogue countries. META’10 is a solid example of how NATO is promoting cooperation among scientists in Allied and partner states.

The conference follows two previous events in Marrakesh, Morocco: Bianisotropics’02 and META’08.