2022 NSF Student Poster Competition & Networking Event at the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE); Columbus, Ohio; October 30-November 3, 2022

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this award is to provide travel support for 30 students who are currently working with Principal Investigators through NSF funding from the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) or Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs to present at a special poster session at the 2022 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (ASME-IMECE), to be held in Columbus, OH, from October 30 to November 3. The award will also facilitate a breakfast networking event for rising researchers and junior faculty that is expected to be attended by 400 participants. The networking event will be open to all eligible conference attendees. The poster travel awardees will be selected based on application, which will include a brief resume, a one-page statement of why they want to attend the conference, and confirmed participation. Consideration in the selection process will be given to the inclusion of members of underrepresented groups, diversity of institutions that the students represent, and diversity of programs within engineering. The award will benefit 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 students' professional, scientific, and technical development as they present their NSF funded research projects to the broad Mechanical Engineering community. Attendance at the conference will provide the students a wonderful opportunity to learn about the engineering profession and state-of-the-art research in their fields via access to technical and professional development talks by domestic and international speakers. Students will enhance their communication skills through lively discussions of their work with the top researchers in their fields. They will also have an opportunity to attend many technical presentations, join the keynote and plenary sessions featuring technological pioneers, and network with potential mentors, colleagues, and employers. The breakfast networking event will provide an opportunity to students and faculty alike to delve into longer discussions about career opportunities and trajectories with senior faculty and industrial representatives, who will serve as facilitators and mentors. 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.