This grant is for partial support for graduate students, postdoctoral associates and US academic speakers at an international conference on Foundations of Computer-Aided Process Design, FOCAPD-2004, which will be held at Princeton University, July 11-16, 2004. The major theme of the conference, "Discovery Through Product and Process Design," reflects the shift in the industrial sector during the last decade. The primary goal of the conference is to create an academic and industrial dialogue, a critical assessment of existing enabling technologies, a discussion on research, education, industrial needs, and a forum for new directions, challenges and opportunities in product and process design. FOCAPD-2004 will feature a keynote lecture, 21 plenary lectures and a contributed paper session. The conference aims at attracting over 150 international participants and over 75 contributed papers. A particular emphasis has been placed on increasing the participation of graduate students and postdoctoral associates.
Broader Impact:
Better product and process design should lead to faster response times and more efficient utilization of the chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and services/software industries' product and processing facilities, which should benefit the US economy. A session at the conference is scheduled to address education, training and industrial needs - to identify the prospects and challenges of shifting the focus from "process design" to "product and process design."
