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The field of symplectic and contact geometry and topology is currently an active area of mathematical research. It is intertwined with many areas of mathematics and mathematical physics, such as Hamiltonian Dynamics, Geometric Optics, Low-dimensional topology, Algebraic Geometry, the theory of integrable systems, and the mathematical theory of Mirror Symmetry to name a few. During the last three decades since the area emerged as a separate subject, many powerful methods have been discovered, such as the theory of holomorphic curves (introduced by M. Gromov in the mid-80's) leading to the creation of Gromov-Witten theory and Floer homology in its different flavors. As a result, several outstanding problems in Hamiltonian Dynamics, e.g. Arnold's and Weinstein's conjectures were solved, and a link to Mirror Symmetry was found. These subjects will be the main focus of the present program.The program is being organized in 3 parts:Preliminary school        Dates: 01-13 December 2014      Ven...

This school is part of the Programme in Biology between International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy and ICTS.New experimental techniques are opening windows on biological mechanisms inside the cell and in the brain, making these systems accessible to quantitative investigation. These advances have shown the importance of the concerted interaction of many agents in producing overall behaviors, and call for an understanding of biological functions at the systemic level. The series of Winter Schools in Quantitative Systems Biology, initiated in 2012, responds to the need to provide physicists with a broad exposure to quantitative problems in the study of living systems.The school is particularly targeted to young researchers, especially at the Ph.D and postdoc level who either work in this area or hope to do so.The 2014 School will focus on Systems Neuroscience and cover different aspects of this rapidly developing field, such as:• Neural coding and dynamics• Connectomics...

The remarkable progress in semiconductor technology has enabled an amazing and rapidly expanding array of consumer products. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that in future information processing applications, synergistic innovations in materials and devices based on new physical principles will be a key to achieving new levels of performance. While desirable attributes of devices are high speed, high density, and low-voltage operation, device physics sets fundamental limits and forces trade-offs on the integration of all desirable attributes into one device element. The next generation of technologies will rely on the discoveries made by researchers working in the physical sciences.The primary goal of the Masterclass is to present a pedagogical introduction to this rapidly growing field that can have a significant impact. The target participants are masters and PhD students in Physics, Materials Science and Electrical engineering, and junior faculty. The speakers at the Mast...

The remarkable progress in semiconductor technology has enabled an amazing and rapidly expanding array of consumer products. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that in future information processing applications, synergistic innovations in materials and devices based on new physical principles will be a key to achieving new levels of performance. While desirable attributes of devices are high speed, high density, and low-voltage operation, device physics sets fundamental limits and forces trade-offs on the integration of all desirable attributes into one device element. The next generation of technologies will rely on the discoveries made by researchers working in the physical sciences.The primary goal of the Masterclass is to present a pedagogical introduction to this rapidly growing field that can have a significant impact. The target participants are masters and PhD students in Physics, Materials Science and Electrical engineering, and junior faculty. The speakers at the Mast...