The Conferences of the Middle European Cooperation in Statistical Physics (MECO) were initiated in 1974 with the aim of bridging the gap between the communities of scientists from the Eastern and Western blocks of Europe, separated by the iron curtain. Since then, MECO conferences have become the yearly itinerant reference meetings for the community of scientists - mainly from central Europe - who are active in the field of Statistical Physics in the broader sense, including modern and promising interdisciplinary applications to biology, finance, information theory, and quantum computation, to name but few.
The 41st MECO conference will be held 14-17 February 2016 in Vienna, Austria, and jointly organized by the University of Vienna, the Vienna University of Technology and the Medical University of Vienna.
The international conference MECO41 is co-organised by scientists of three institutions: the University of Vienna, the Vienna University of Technology, and the Medical University of Vienna. The conference is intended to cover recent developments in statistical physics (in a broader sense) and its interdisciplinary applications, providing the participants with the opportunity to communicate and discuss the results of their research, to transfer scientific know-how, to establish and to strengthen cross-border scientific collaborations, according to the very same objectives of the MECO conferences. In addition, the pedagogical nature of the talks given by keynote speakers are expected to provide an important training for students and young researchers participating in the conference.
According to the traditional format of MECO conferences, MECO41 lasts three days (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). During these days there will be talks by ten keynote speakers:
Julia Yeomans, Oxford
Yurij Holovatch, Lviv
Udo Seifert, Stuttgart - EPJ lecturer
Thomas Loerting, Innsbruck
Erwin Frey, LMU - EPJ lecturer
Christian Beck, Queen Mary, London
Ludwik Leibler, ESPCI, Paris
Friederike Schmid, Mainz
Zdzislaw Burda, Krakow
Harald Posch, Vienna
as well as talks by selected participants and two poster sessions.
The talks delivered by the keynote speakers will be accessible not only to specialists but also to young researchers and PhD students.
All participants who register for the conference are given the possibility to apply for an oral contribution. The focus on the specific areas indicated above is motivated by the fact that: (a) they witnessed significant progress in the past few years, which calls for a timely communication and discussion (b) they include some of the topics traditionally discussed in MECO conferences, (c) they represent the core scientific interest of a vast community of theoretical physicists within Central European countries.
MECO conferences have always been characterised by a friendly atmosphere which has definitely contributed to the success of these meetings, and have proven to be the ideal occasion for establishing international scientific collaborations especially across Europe and to help scientists from the former Eastern block to interact with outstanding colleagues active in the best research institution within Europe and overseas.
The list of previous MECO conferences:
1974 Wien (A)
1975 Regensburg (FRG)
1976 Bled (Y)
1977 Unterägeri (CH)
1978 Boszkowo (PL)
1979 Trieste (I)
1980 Budapest (H)
1981 Saarbrücken (FRG)
1982 Wien (A)
1983 Bled (Y)
1984 Gernrode (GDR)
1985 Aussois (F)
1986 Liblice (CS)
1987 Poidoux-Chexbres (CH)
1988 Karpacz (PL)
1989 Siena (I)
1990 Balatonfüred (H)
1991 Duisburg (D)
1994 Smolenice (SK)
1995 Puchberg/Wels (A)
1996 Bled (SL)
1997 Szklarska Poreba (PL)
1998 Trieste (I)
1999 Lutherstadt-Wittenberg (D)
2000 Pont-a-Mousson (F)
2001 Prague (CZ)
2002 Sopron (H)
2003 Saarbrücken (D)
2004 Bratislava (SK)
2005 Cortona (I)
2006 Primosten (CR)
2007 Ladek Zdroj, (PL)
2008 Puchberg/Wels (A)
2009 Leipzig (D)
2010 Pont-a-Mousson (F)
2011 Lviv (UA)
2012 Tatrianske Matliare (SK)
2013 Trieste (I)
2014 Coventry (UK)
2015 Esztergom (HU)
