National Control Engineering Students Workshop,To be Held at the University of Maryland, College Park, April 28-May 1, 2011

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal requests funds to support the first National Control Engineering Students Workshop, to be held at University of Maryland, College Park, MD, from Thursday, April 28, through Sunday May 1, 2011. Motivated by the success of the previous six Northeast Control Workshops, which were aimed at students from universities in the Northeast, this workshop is aimed at reaching a broader set of students from universities across the nation. The goal is to enhance the education and professional preparation of graduate students and postdoctoral students by providing them with an opportunity to present their work; to interact with their peers, established researchers in the field, and researchers from industry and government lab. The students will learn about cutting edge research in areas such as energy, biology, hybrid systems, and cyber-physical systems from the invited speakers. Intellectual Merit: The proposed workshop will provide the students a broad understanding of the current developments in the field of control engineering and make them cognizant of the emerging areas in the field. In additional to the student participants, this workshop will bring together leading researchers in the field of control, some of whom will be invited as plenary speakers and keynote lecturers. As such, the workshop will provide a forum for the much needed interaction between control theory and various inter-disciplinary application areas, resulting in a cross-pollination of ideas and providing an impetus for interdisciplinary collaborations. Broader Impact: The proposed workshop will encourage a broad and diverse group of students to pursue research careers, by providing them with an opportunity to closely interact with leading researchers in the field in an intimate setting. Moreover, the unique opportunity to interact with industry researchers will be invaluable for these students and postdocs as they transition into independent junior researchers over the next few years.