There is a long and continuing tradition in place in Norway in the field of Complex Systems and Materials. This tradition is very much connected to, and inspired from the renowned NATO Advanced Study Institutes at Bardøla Høyfjellshotell, Geilo, Norway. These biannual schools were initiated by Tormod Riste, and they have been organized by the Physics department at IFE since the first school took place in 1971.
The purpose of these schools has been to present in a pedagogical manner the recent advances in the physics of hard and soft condensed matter with emphasis on phase transitions and dynamics. Altogether, more than 1000 students from around 30 different countries have participated in these schools, and the lecturers have always been among the most recognized in their respective fields. The focused, relaxed, natural, cultural, social etc. environmental setting of the Geilo meetings has without doubt inspired (both the young and the not so young) individual scientists in the field of complex systems and materials. New and productive thoughts and collaborations across borders of preconceived notions, institutions, countries, sexes etc have resulted from the Geilo meetings.
These Institutes have an international reputation of being the most prestigious in the field of cooperative phenomena, soft condensed matter and complex systems. In fact, the very term soft condensed matter was coined at the Institute held in 1989. The last Geilo School took place 11 -21 April 2005 and had the title: Dynamics of Complex Interconnected Systems: Networks and Bioprocesses
Click to see a list of all the past Geilo Schools.
