The Eighth International Bologna Conference on Magnetic Resonance in Porous Media

This article is the Editorial of the Eighth International Bologna Conference on Magnetic Resonance in Porous Media (Bologna MRPM8), chaired by Paola Fantazzini (Physics Department, University of Bologna, Italy). The conference was held from September 10th to 14th 2006. The Conference took place at the Engineering Faculty of the University of Bologna. This was the eighth event in a series of outstanding conferences, devoted to the progress of our understanding of structure, molecular dynamics, and fluid transport and behaviors in porous media, by use of Magnetic Resonance techniques, with regard to Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Industrial applications and Life sciences. One can say with good reason that Magnetic Resonance for fluids in Porous Media (MRPM) now constitutes an interdisciplinary field with a wide range of scientific expertise and applications. This Conference series started at the University of Bologna in 1990, with the name First International Meeting on Recent Advances in NMR Applications to Porous Media. MRPM2 was held in 1993 at the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK (chairman John H. Strange), MRPM3 in 1995 at the Université Catolique of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium (chairman Jean Dereppe), MRPM4 in 1997 at the Research Center of STATOIL in Trondheim, Norway (chairpersons T. Skjetne and G.C. Borgia). The conference returned to Bologna in 2000 (chairpersons G.C. Borgia and P. Fantazzini). MRPM6 was organized in 2002 at the University of Ulm, the birthplace of Albert Einstein, Germany (chairman Rainer Kimmich). MRPM7 has been organized in Palaiseau (France) through the chairmanship of Jean-Pierre Korb. Since the vitality and interest of these Conferences and the consideration that the community which the conference series serves had grown considerably over the years, after MRPM7 the community has joined the Groupement Ampere as the MRPM Division, and the Conferences, which are now Ampere Events, are explicitly called the “Bologna MRPM Conferences,” in order to adequately recognize the contribution made in the course of more than 16 years by the Bologna Group. The eighth MRPM conference proved again to be a very stimulating event, very well attended, with delegates from more than 20 different countries spread over five continents. As with previous meetings, both academia and industry were well represented. A very large fraction of participants (more than 30%) were students, also thanks to the policy of the Organizing Committee which decided to apply a low registration fee for young people. The participation of these young people, who have presented the results of their research with both passion and competence, have given to the conference a special vitality and momentum toward the future. During the Closing Session of Bologna MRPM8, there was awarded the Giulio Cesare Borgia Prize for Young Researchers (3000 Euros). The committee, composed of Bernhard Blümich, Paul Callaghan, Pabitra Sen and Paola Fantazzini, assigned the prize to Rustem Valiullin, with the following inscription: For his outstanding leadership in the analysis of porous media by NMR techniques. This work will have major impact in the understanding of the physics of fluids confined in pore networks. R. Valiullin presented at the Conference the oral communication “Dynamical aspects of the adsorption hysteresis phenomenon”, by R. Valiullin, S. Naumov, P. Galvosas, J. Kärger, P. A. Monson, which is included as a paper in this Issue, and he was co-author of a number of Posters, the abstracts of which are reported in this Issue as well. During the General Assembly at the end of the Conference, chaired by Peter McDonald, it was proposed that the 9th Bologna MRPM Conference will be held in 2008 in Boston. It was agreed that Jean-Pierre. Korb (MRPM7 Chair); Paola Fantazzini (MRPM8 Chair), Pabitra Sen (MRPM9 Chair); Peter McDonald and Siegfried Stapf should serve as the Steering Committee for the next two years.