NSF Student Travel Grant for 2019 ACM International Conference on Underwater Networks (WUWNet)

University Of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa AL

Investigators

Abstract

Our oceans are integral to climate regulation, nutrient production, oil and gas retrieval, and transportation. As such, there is significant interest to develop underwater sensor network technologies for scientific, environmental, commercial, safety, and military missions in the oceans. The WUWNet conference has established itself as one of the premier technical venues in the field of underwater sensor networks. The fourteenth ACM WUWNet, which will be held in Atlanta, Oct 23-25, 2019, promises to build on its previous success and further expand the scope. The organizing committee is in charge of putting together a very strong program, including technical sessions, panels, keynote speeches, and special sessions, as well as poster/demo sessions and vendors exhibit. This main goal of the project is to promote student participation in WUWNet19. Participation in high-quality scientific meetings, such as WUWNet, is an extremely important part of the research training experiences. It allows the students to interact with their peers, gives opportunities the young investigators to learn from senior researchers and scholars, exposes the students to cutting-edge research, and allows the students to take part in discussions that are likely to shape the future of the field. The requested funding will be used to provide travel support for both undergraduate and graduate students who might otherwise be unable to attend the conference. A total amount of $16,000 will be used to support approximately sixteen students to attend WUWNet19. Special attention will be paid to recruit the first-time attendees from undergraduate and beginning graduate groups. The project will give high preference to support the under-represented groups to participate in WUWNet'19, including women, minorities, and students with disabilities. 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.