<html><head><style> body {height: 100%; color:#000000; font-size:12pt; font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;}</style></head><body><div><br></div><div><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dear colleagues, </div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br></div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">The USNCCM14 organizers have extended the deadline for abstract submission to Tuesday, March 7, 2017. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">To submit your abstract, please go to </span><i style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span color="#0000ff" data-mce-style="color: #0000ff;" style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://14.usnccm.org/abstract_instructions" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://14.usnccm.org/abstract_instructions">http://14.usnccm.org/abstract_instructions</a></span></i><span style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"> and click the link at the bottom of the page “CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT.” Please choose minisymposium </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">“</span><b style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">MS 304: Computational Methods and Design for Impact and Blast Problems</b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">” if the topic of your abstract fits. </span></div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br></div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>Important Dates</b>:</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">March 7, 2017:<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" data-mce-style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" data-mce-style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" data-mce-style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>Deadline of abstract submission</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">March 31, 2017:<span class="gmail-m_8767821898868472730gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" data-mce-style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" data-mce-style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" data-mce-style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>Deadline of student poster submission</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">March 15 - May 15, 2017<span class="gmail-m_8767821898868472730gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" data-mce-style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>Early registration ($650 in full, $400 for student)</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">May 16 - June 30, 2017<span class="gmail-m_8767821898868472730gmail-Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" data-mce-style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>Regular registration ($725 in full, $450 for student)</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br></div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">Please feel free to forward this announcement to interested colleagues. For more information, please visit the congress website at <i><span color="#0000ff" data-mce-style="color: #0000ff;" style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://14.usnccm.org/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="http://14.usnccm.org/">http://14.usnccm.org/</a></span></i>. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us. </div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sincerely, </div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">Howie Fang</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">David C. Weggel </div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">Jun Xu</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">Qing Li </div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br></div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">Minisymposium Organizers</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br></div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">MS 304: Computational Methods and Design for Impact and Blast Problems</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br></div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">Significant impact and blast events can push physical systems to their limits and result in catastrophic consequences such as widespread human casualties/injuries and loss of property. A good understanding of the systems subject to impact/blast loading is required for system design and/or hazard mitigation. Due to the destructive nature of impact and blast events, physical experiments, especially full-scale testing, have remained a significant challenge due to their high costs associated with specialized facilities and equipment, personnel expertise, and setup of full-scale test specimens. While controlled full-scale testing may never become obsolete, recent advances in computing hardware and numerical algorithms has enabled numerical modeling and simulation to play an increasingly critical role in this important area of research.</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br></div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">This minisymposium aims to bring together researchers and engineers working on all types of impact and blast problems. It seeks to synthesize recent advances in mathematical models and computational methods/algorithms for impact and blast problems as well as for designing impact/blast resistant structures/systems. Research and industrial applications addressing all aspects of responses of structures, bodies, and materials subject to impact and blast loading are welcomed. Numerical modeling and simulation efforts with experimental validation/verification are particularly encouraged.</div><div style="font-size: 12.8px;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12.8px;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></body></html>