2nd Industrial Fluid Properties Simulation Challenge

Forwarded message:
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 We are pleased to announce the Second Industrial Fluid Properties
 Simulation Challenge (IFPSC). The second IFPSC will focus on prediction of
 vapor pressures and heats of vaporization, gas solubility, and enthalpies
 of mixing using molecular simulation techniques. The primary goal of the
 Industrial Fluid Properties Simulation Challenge is to obtain an in-depth
 and objective assessment of our current capabilities to predict
 thermophysical properties of industrially challenging fluids using computer
 simulation.  Details of the contest and results of the first challenge can
 be found at the IFPSC website:
 http://www.cstl.nist.gov/FluidSimulationChallenge/
 You can register at the site as a participant, an observer, or express
 interest in becoming one of the contest judges. We would also like to
 invite you to join the FLUIDSIM email distribution list
 (http://www.freelists.org/webpage/fluidsim) which has been
 created to keep
 you updated about the latest news regarding the Challenge.  More details
 about FLUIDSIM (including instructions for joining) and the steps taken to
 protect the identities of its members are provided later in this email.
 In order to limit the flux of unwanted information, the organizing
 committee will provide all future communication about the Challenge through
 the IFPSC website and by email updates to registered members of FLUIDSIM.
 If you would like to stay in touch with the IFPSC activities, please
 register at the website and/or join FLUIDSIM as soon as possible.
 We hope you will consider your participation in the Challenge and find it
 an interesting and useful event.
 Sincerely,
 IFPSC Organizing Committee
 Questions and Answers about the Simulation Challenge and FLUIDSIM:
 What are the prizes?
 The current plan is as follows: For each of the three challenge problems,
 $2500 will be awarded for first place, $1500 will be awarded for second,
 and $1000 will be divided equally among all of the other entries that meet
 the minimum requirements of the Challenge.  A special award of $1000 will
 be given to "best-in-show," the entry that performs the best among
 those
 that enter all three Challenge problems.  These plans are subject to change
 at the discretion of the organizing committee.  For example, prizes may not
 be awarded if the level of participation is extremely small (e.g., if there
 are fewer valid entries than prizes for a particular problem) or if the
 quality of competition is deemed to be especially poor (e.g., if all of the
 entries for a problem are deemed to be of poor quality and not worthy of
 special recognition).
 What are the benefits of participating?
 Participation in the Challenge gives you an opportunity to test your models
 and methods on problems that have significant industrial relevance and for
 which you don't know the answer ahead of time.  A special session at the
 2004 AIChE annual meeting will be devoted to the Challenge and offers a
 prime opportunity for you to highlight your work, as does the special
 journal issue devoted to the reporting the results of the Challenge.  As
 mentioned in the previous section, cash prizes will be awarded to all
 entries that meet the minimum requirements of the Challenge.  Though the
 organizing committee intends the Simulation Challenge to be a vehicle for
 engagement between industry and the top practitioners in the field of
 molecular simulation, it also represents a good opportunity for graduate
 students to gain experience and exposure (and a cash prize).  If you are a
 graduate student and are interested in any of these benefits, talk to your
 advisor about entering the Challenge.  I!
  f you are a professor or group leader, you might consider using a problem
 or problems from the Simulation Challenge to "initiate" new students
 to the
 world of molecular simulation. If you are teaching a graduate course in
 statistical mechanics, molecular modeling, molecular simulation, or another
 closely related field, you might consider using the Simulation Challenge as
 a group project for your students.
 When are Challenge entries due?
 Entries must be submitted no later than Friday, September 10, 2004.  The
 results of the Challenge will be announced at a special session at the
 AIChE annual meeting in Austin, TX, in November.
 Who organizes the Challenge?
 The competition is organized by scientists from 3M, BP, Case Scientific,
 The Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Mitsubishi Chemical, and the
 National Institute of Standards and Technology.
 Who can enter the Challenge?
 The challenge is open to researchers from academia, government
 laboratories, and industry not affiliated with the organizing committee.
 Participants must register at the web site to ensure that their proposed
 methodology is eligible.  There are no geographical restrictions regarding
 eligibility, and attendance at the AIChE Annual Meeting (where the
 champions will be
 announced) is not a requirement.
 Who will judge the Challenge?
 The judging will be performed by a panel of experts in the field that will
 be selected by the organizing committee.
 What is FLUIDSIM?
 FLUIDSIM is an email distribution list that has been created to allow
 timely communication of information regarding the Simulation Challenge.
 Who should join FLUIDSIM?
 The membership of the FLUIDSIM email list is intended to include both those
 individuals who plan to participate in the 2004 Simulation Challenge
 (either as a contestant or judge) AND any other individuals who are
 interested in molecular simulation and its use in predicting physical
 properties. Therefore, if you have any interest whatsoever in this area, we
 encourage you to join the list.  You can then be kept informed about the
 Challenge even if you don't currently plan to actively participate.  You
 can always unsubscribe from the email list at a later date if you desire to
 do so.
 How do I join FLUIDSIM?
 FLUIDSIM is strictly an "opt-in" email list.  That is, if you don't
 want to
 be a part of the email list, you can simply ignore this invitation.  If you
 do want to join, send an email to fluidsim-request*at*freelists.org and put
 "subscribe" (without the quotes) in the Subject line of the email.
 You
 will then automatically receive a reply email with instructions how to
 confirm your membership.  You can also join by browsing to the list web
 site
 (http://www.freelists.org/webpage/fluidsim) and submitting
 the web form.
 If you have problems subscribing or have any other questions, please send
 email to info*at*fluidsim.org.
 What about my privacy?  Will I receive spam as a result of joining
 FLUIDSIM?
 The number of emails that you will receive as a member of FLUIDSIM will be
 minimal (perhaps on the order of 1 per month).  It is a "newsletter"
 type
 email list, so you will only receive emails from the organizing committee
 of the Simulation Challenge, not from the other members of the distribution
 list.  The content of emails sent via the list will be related to the
 Simulation Challenge and will be text-only (no attachments).  The list of
 members is only available to the IFPSC organizing committee.
 What sort of information should I expect to receive via FLUIDSIM?
 Information related to the Industrial Fluid Properties Simulation Challenge
 (e.g., an email providing notification that the Frequently Asked Questions
 (FAQ) page on the contest web site has been updated with new information).
 Feedback
 The organizing committee solicits your feedback.  Please let us know what
 you think about Challenge.  Suggest good problems for future Challenges.
 Suggest ways that the Challenge can be improved.  If you don't plan to
 participate in the Challenge, please let us know why not and give us ideas
 about how you might be motivated to participate.  Please send feedback to:
 feedback*at*fluidsim.org
 The Organizing Committee
 Raymond Mountain - NIST - chair
 Fiona Case - Case Scientific
 Anne Chaka - NIST
 Daniel Friend - NIST
 Dave Frurip - The Dow Chemical Company
 Joseph Golab - BP Amoco Chemical Company
 Peter Gordon - ExxonMobil
 Russ Johnson - NIST
 Petr Kolar - Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
 Jonathan Moore - The Dow Chemical Company
 Jim Olson - The Dow Chemical Company
 Rick Ross - 3M Company
 Martin Schiller - DuPont