Photos Photos Ernst Meyer Nic Spencer Roger Horn Nitya Nand Gosvami Suzanne Giasson Teresa Cuberes

Since the year 2000, the International Nanotribology Forum (INF) has been instrumental in organizing a series of successful meetings, bringing together leading experts in the field of nanotribology and nanomechanics. This meeting was held at the Norbu Ghang Resort in Pelling, West Sikkim, India. In addition to the underlying theme of nanoscale friction, the meeting offered related perspectives on soft-interfaces, biomechanics, single molecule force microscopy, atomistic modelling and solid state dissipation. The meeting provided an excellent opportunity for practitioners to discuss state of the art developments and applications with international experts in an informal setting. Tucked away in the eastern Himalayas, the venue offers spectacular views of Mt. Kanchenjunga with ample opportunities for trekking and viewing the great outdoors.

Topics for NanoSikkimIII: physiochemical characterization of surfaces; cell mechanics; single molecule force experiments; soft interfaces; self-assembled monolayers; atomistic and continuum modelling; fundametals of friction; and solid-state dissipation processes.

Our list of invited speakers included:

Roland Bennewitz, McGill University, Canada Henry Bock, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK Hermann Gaub, University of Munich, Germany Andrew Gellman, Carnegie Mellon University, USA Suzanne Giasson, Universite de Montreal, Canada Michael Grunze, University of Heidelberg, Germany Anand Jagota, Lehigh University, USA Uzi Landman, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA

Graham Leggett, University of Sheffield, UK Prabal Maiti, Indian Institute of Science, India Lawrence Marks, Northwestern University, USA Jean Michel Martin, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France Ernst Meyer, University of Basel, Switzerland Reinhard Pippan, University of Leoben, Austria G.V. Shivashankar, National Centre for Biological Sciences, India Hugh Spikes, Imperial College London, UK

This year's INF meeting also featured a dissemination session for one of the European Science Foundation's EUROCORES Programmes: Friction and Adhesion in Nanomechanical Systems (FANAS).