2015 Frontiers of Engineering Symposia (German-American: Potsdam, Germany, April 2015; China-America: Irvine, California, June 2015; U.S.: Irvine, California, September 2015)

National Academy Of Sciences, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The Frontiers of Engineering (FOE) Symposia, organized by the National Academy of Engineering, provide emerging engineering leaders from academia, industry, and government laboratories the opportunity to share research insights to facilitate an interdisciplinary transfer of knowledge and research methodologies. The nature of emerging technologies and how they fit together to create products and processes that drive economic growth in an increasingly competitive environment have heightened the need for engineers to understand each other's disciplines and enhance the value in that interaction, particularly among those developing and using these new technologies. The symposia serve as a catalyst to spur engineering innovation and foster collaborative networks of researchers within the United States and between engineers from the United States and partnering countries. This award provides partial support for three Frontiers of Engineering (FOE) symposia, to be held in 2015: German-American Frontiers of Engineering (April 16-18, in Potsdam, Germany), China-America Frontiers of Engineering (June 1-3, in Irvine, California), and U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (September 9-11, in Irvine, California). Each FOE symposium will focus on four topical areas. The four topics for the 2015 German-American FOE are nano-to-micro robotics, synthetic membranes and their applications, particle accelerators and their applications, and protecting user privacy in the age of big data. The four topics for the 2015 China-America FOE are advanced manufacturing, clean water, devices for health care, and big data. Finally, the four topics for the U.S. symposium are metamaterials and compliant mechanisms, cybersecurity, engineering the search for earth-like exoplanets, and forecasting natural disasters. About 100 outstanding young engineers for the U.S. symposium and 30 from each country for the bilateral symposia will participate. Each two and one-half day symposium will include four formal sessions, technical tours, break-out sessions, and opportunities for developing collaborative research partnerships. Sessions will consist of presentations on cutting-edge research, innovations, and emerging research opportunities in engineering fields relevant to the symposium. Papers from the U.S. FOE symposium will be published in a volume available on the National Academies Press website at http://www.nap.edu.