About

XXIX Dynamics of Molecular Collisions Conference | July 6-11, 2025 | Snowbird, Utah

The Conference on the Dynamics of Molecular Collisions (DMC) provides a tremendous opportunity for the gathering of experimentalists and theoreticians in the field of chemical dynamics. At this biannual conference which spans five days, the latest developments in bimolecular collisional dynamics, dynamics in the condensed phase, photodissociation dynamics, reactions at interfaces, nonadiabatic dynamics, quantum control and cold reactions, and applications to combustion, atmospheric, and interstellar chemistry are discussed by experts in these fields. In addition to delivering a robust schedule of invited talks, young scientists are encouraged to present contributed talks as well as posters. The meeting has a Gordon Conference format leaving afternoons free for the students and scientists to mingle and discuss their work in informal settings. Mornings and evenings are scheduled for talks and every night will feature a poster session for those not speaking to showcase their research.

This meeting has had a distinguished history, beginning in 1965 (by Nobel Laureate John Fenn) as a Gordon Research Conference (GRC), and continuing independently when the number of participants grew to exceed the GRC limit. It is held now every two years. Viewpoint articles based on the two previous DMC conferences (2017 & 2019) were published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry A (DOIs: 10.1021/acs.jpca.8b00072 & 10.1021/acs.jpca.0c00495).

History

The History of the DMC Conference:

  1. 1965: New Hampton, New Hampshire; John Fenn (Yale University).
  2. 1968: Andover, New Hampshire; John C. Polanyi (University of Toronto).
  3. 1970: Oak Ridge, Tennessee; E.F. Green (Brown University).
  4. 1972: Plymouth, New Hampshire; Sheldon Datz (Oak Ridge National Laboratory).
  5. 1974: Santa Cruz, California; James L. Kinsey (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
  6. 1976: Plymouth, New Hampshire; Bruce E. Mahan (University of California, Berkeley)
  7. 1978: Pacific Grove, California; Yuan T. Lee (University of California, Berkeley).
  8. 1981: Plymouth, New Hampshire; R. James Cross (Yale University).
  9. 1983: Gull Lake, Minnesota; W. Ronald Gentry (University of Minnesota).
  10. 1985: Snowbird, Utah; Donald G. Truhlar (University of Minnesota).
  11. 1987: Wheeling, West Virginia, Paul Dagdigian (The Johns Hopkins University).
  12. 1989: Pacific Grove, California, William H. Miller (University of California, Berkeley).
  13. 1991: Lake George, New York, James M. Farrar (University of Rochester).
  14. 1993: Helen, Georgia, Joel M. Bowman, (Emory University).
  15. 1995: Pacific Grove, California, Daniel Neumark (University of California, Berkeley).
  16. 1997: Gull Lake, Minnesota, George Schatz (Northwestern University).
  17. 1999: Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, James Valentini (Columbia University).
  18. 2001: Copper Mountain, Colorado, James T. Muckerman (Brookhaven National Laboratory).
  19. 2003: Tahoe City, California, Laurie J. Butler (University of Chicago).
  20. 2005: Pacific Grove, California, Albert Wagner (Argonne National Laboratory).
  21. 2007: Sante Fe, New Mexico, David Chandler (Sandia National Laboratories).
  22. 2009: Snowbird, Utah, Anne McCoy (Ohio State University).
  23. 2011: Snowbird, Utah; David Nesbitt (JILA/University of Colorado).
  24. 2013: Granlibakken, California; Hua Guo (University of New Mexico).
  25. 2015: Pacific Grove, California; Arthur Suits (Wayne State University).
  26. 2017: Tahoe City, California; David Yarkony (Johns Hopkins University.
  27. 2019: Big Sky, Montana; Timothy Minton (Montana State University).
  28. 2023: Snowbird, Utah; Richard Dawes (Missouri University of Science and Technology).

Herschbach Medal

Outstanding theoretical and experimental contributions to the field are recognized at the DMC conference by awarding the Herschbach Medal, named in honor of Dudley Herschbach, Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986, and a pioneer of the field.

For bold and architectural work, inspiring and empowering. Such work addresses fundamental, challenging, frontier questions; brings forth new perspectives and capabilities; and typically excites evangelical fervor that recruits many followers.

D. Herschbach: The Herschbach Medal tradition was first started in the 2007 meeting chaired by David Chandler, based on a generous donation of funds and artwork designed by Professor Herschbach himself. There are two such awards made, one for experimental and one for theoretical contributions to the field of Molecular Collision Dynamics, broadly defined.

Herschbach Medalists:

  • 2007: Richard N. Zare and William H. Miller
  • 2009: Daniel Neumark and Donald Truhlar
  • 2011: Yuan Lee and George Schatz
  • 2013: Giacinto Scoles, J. Peter Toennies and Joel Bowman
  • 2015: W. Carl Lineberger and Millard Alexander
  • 2017: Hanna Reisler and John Tully
  • 2019: David Yarkony and Kopin Liu
  • 2023: Marsha Lester and Hua Guo
  • 2025: David Chandler and Anne McCoy

Code of Conduct

The DMC meeting code of conduct policy requires all attendees to contribute to a positive environment, in which all attendees can enjoy open communication and ethical behavior. DMC expects attendees to avoid inappropriate actions based on race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, political affiliation, presence of disabilities, or educational background.

Please report any insulting, harassing, or otherwise inappropriate behavior to the conference Chair (Amy Mullin, mullin@umd.edu) or co-Chair (Ahren Jasper, ajasper@anl.gov).