Travel Support for Student Participation at the 2018 ASME-IMECE Micro and Nano Technology Forum; Pittsburgh, PA, November 12-15, 2018

Villanova University, Villanova PA

Investigators

Abstract

The purpose of this award is to provide partial travel support for 43 graduate and undergraduate students to attend the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition in Pittsburgh, PA, from November 12-15, 2018. The students participate in a Society-Wide Micro and Nano Technology Forum (Topic 16-13), which focuses on new developments in the field of micro and nano engineering and science. The students present through oral and poster sessions their latest results to the broader Engineering community. Travel grants for the students are based on the technical quality of the poster abstracts submitted as well as on a statement from the students' research advisors. Priority is given to student participants who are women or who come from underrepresented groups, and to undergraduate students. This approach promotes diverse participation at the conference, in the short term, and in STEM fields, in the long term. This award benefits the nation through the education of a skilled and diverse engineering workforce better prepared to provide transformative solutions the challenges of their chosen fields. This participation support is expected to benefit the students' professional, scientific and technical development. Attendance at the conference gives the students a broader view of the engineering profession and of state-of-the-art research in their fields via access to several technical and professional development talks by leading domestic and international speakers. Students enhance their communication skills through oral and poster presentations, in-depth discussions of their work with peers in their fields during the Society-wide Poster Symposium at the Micro and Nanotechnology Forum. This interactive experience significantly broadens student education, increases their enthusiasm for their research topic, acquaints them with expectations for scientific careers, and exposes them to new avenues for innovative research. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.