ECS Grantees Workshop to Enhance Diversity being held June 13-15, 2006

Tuskegee University, Tuskegee Institute AL

Investigators

Abstract

The Electrical and Communications Systems (ECS) Division Grantees Workshop to Enhance Diversity is an interdisciplinary initiative focus on the discipline of electrical engineering aimed at promoting knowledge of major technological challenges in devices and systems. Today's universe of technologies bridge computational networks, control devices at the nano, micro and macro scales. As such, it is imperative that ECS take a leadership role in providing mentoring opportunities for diverse groups that could be overlooked due to a variety of resource challenges. The convergence of micro-, nano-, cogno-, bio-electronic, controls, networks and computation along with communication needs drives our research community to assure a national discussion on these topics. This NSF ECS Grantees' Workshop provides a forum for open discussion with authoritative researchers to dialogue with current and future researchers in these subjects. It is the objective of this proposal to request support for the travel expenses for PIs and co-PIs, for students, and for some of the direct conference costs including CD production of the proceedings, communication and supplies. Our audience includes seasoned mentors and PIs from minority and underrepresented institutions from around the Nation. The PI and co-PI will work with NSF ECS to ensure success of the workshop given their experience and knowledge of electrical systems and the ECS initiative. Intellectual Merit: The ECS directorate aim is at research and system integration of complex systems in the areas of device technologies, computation networking, wireless, cyber infrastructure, and control and systems principles at the nano, micro and macro scales. The ECS Grantees Workshop purpose is to mentor and outreach to the awarded PIs. This will be accomplished through the review of current research, and strategies to leverage the technologies to industry and educational programs. This workshop facilitates the interaction between researchers who are doing innovative research who would otherwise not meet each other. The designated speakers for this workshop will be motivational and insightful thus providing mentoring to the PIs and helping to provide direction for future research. Broader Impact: The interaction of the ECS workshop will provide a significant technical exchange with researchers. This workshop will foster collaboration between researchers from different areas thus realizing new unique research and educational partnerships. This Grantees workshop will allow the program directors to interact with researchers to promote and evaluate the ECS vision of technical challenges in the integration of complex systems, and devices for communications, networks, electronics, and controls. The ECS Initiative provides an opportunity for Grantees as well as their colleagues to interchange with experts in their respective fields. Students will be able to interact and present their current work that is occurring under various mentor tutelage. The workshop provides an opportunity for ECS Program Directors to interact with students, academia and industry participants to promote/evaluate the ECS vision of the technical challenges in complex systems, economics, environmental, control and educational impacts.