Conference: XIX^th International Congress on Rheology (ICR2023)Date: July 29 ― August 4, 2023Location: Athens, Greece Reporter: NNYIGIDE, Tochukwu Olunna

Travel:INCHEON, KR
JUL 28, 2023 01:30 ― ATHENS, GR
JUL 28, 2023 18:10

We had smooth Qatar Airways flight: QR859 (ICN―DOH), & QR207 (DOH―ATH)

ITINERARY: This is how it went for me! SUN JUL 30, 2023 Completed registration, and attended welcome reception MON JUL 31, 2023 Attended opening ceremony, Listened to presentations, visited acropolis museum, and reception TUE AUG 1, 2023 Listened to conference talks all day WED AUG 2, 2023 Made poster presentation from 09:00 - 12:00, went for excursion to Ancient Corinth from 13:00 THU AUG 3, 2023 Listened to conference talks all day, and attend banquet from 19:30 - 23:30 FRI AUG 4, 2023 Listened to talks from 09:00-15:45, attended closing ceremony from 15:45-16:00 HIGHLIGHTS:

Overall, I would say the conference was eventful academically and socially. I got to see and hear many revered professors and excellent researchers! The talks were organized into sections, and one could choose which category to listen to. I switched categories at times but my focus was mainly on the 'Arrested Matter' section because the presentations were mostly relevant to my research in protein hydrogel rheology. Various tuning methods and characteristics, such as stress relaxation, yielding, aging, frequency response, mechanical strength, cracking, thixotropy, and wall slip of diverse and crucial complex fluids like gels and colloids, were presented.

Studies primarily employed rheometric techniques and were supported by other microstructure investigation methods such as imaging. Furthermore, theoretical approaches, including computer simulation and modeling, were extensively used to solve flow problems encountered in colloidal systems.

In addition to traditional rheometers, several new techniques that combine rheometry with microstructure investigation were used by researchers. These tools included:

Rheo―DLS: Rheology with Dynamic Light Scattering
RheoSANS: Rheology with Small Angle Neutron Scattering
DLSμR: Dynamic Light Scattering Microrheology (enabling the measurement of minute samples)
Rheo―NMR: Rheology with nuclear magnetic resonance

I feel it's also important to note the increasing adoption of simulation studies, especially in investigating substances like gels, colloids, granular matter, and rod-shaped particles. Researchers employed these simulations to comprehend experimental observations or uncover new characteristics. Simulated materials were subjected to flows like step strains and oscillatory shear flows, providing viscoelastic and microstructural data that were analyzed for insights. Commonly employed simulation methods included molecular dynamics , Brownian dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulation.
Furthermore, noteworthy efforts were made by some researchers to integrate machine learning techniques into rheology.

MY PRESENTATION AND EXPERIENCE:

I made a poster presentation and received several useful questions and feedback. Additionally, I had the opportunity to visit many cool places such as the Acropolis Museum, Ancient Corinth, the Corinth Canal, the Roman Agora, and more. Greece is so historic and colorful!

I gained new knowledge, met a lot of nice people, and created many good memories in Greece. I sincerely appreciate Prof. Kyu Hyun for the opportunity.

RETURN TO KOREA:

Traveling back to Korea was smooth, and by Qatar Airways flight: QR212 (ATH―DOH), & QR858 (DOH―ICN). We arrived Incheon on Tue, 8 Aug 2023 16:55 having departed Athens on Mon, 7 Aug 2023 09:30.