This award provides support for 62 students to attend the premier conferences on manufacturing in the United States, the jointly held 2011 American Society of Mechanical Engineers International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference, the 39th Annual North American Manufacturing Research Conference, and the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers International Conference of Materials and Processing, June 13-17, 2011, in Corvallis, Oregon. The funding opportunity will be broadly announced, affording students ample notice and time to apply. Applications will be reviewed by committee, and $400 in support will be provided to the winning students.
The students will have an opportunity to present their research at the conferences and to see over 500 papers and 40 posters, which will be presented at the conferences. They will have a chance to interact with other students and faculty from their field, and to gain valuable insights for the start of their careers. This will help to improve America's supply of manufacturing engineers.
Outcome addressing intellectual merit This project provided funding for 59 selected graduate and undergraduate students (studying at US institutions) to present their research findings at technical conferences organized by leading world-class societies in the Mechanical Engineering field and thus motivated these students in their research activities. The meeting consisted of three conferences that are co-located and co-organized: (1) the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) 2011 International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference (MSEC), (2) the 39th Annual North American Manufacturing Research Conference (NAMRC) sponsored by the North American Manufacturing Institution of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (NAMRI/SME), and (3) the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) International Conference of Materials and Processing (ICM&P). Because of the co-location of three individual conferences, the 2011 meeting attracted diverse participation from academia, governmental facilities, and industry. A single registration fee allowed participants to attend all the technical events and receive the conference proceedings, which include technical papers and posters. Conference participation provided the students with opportunities to learn about leading-edge technologies, research trends, and methodological approaches to research. In addition, interaction with university faculty members and students, engineers and researchers from industry and governmental facilities—both international and domestic—will expand the students’ global vision, foster their motivation to learn, and stimulate their career development. Outcome addressing broader impacts In addition to acquiring knowledge and a broader understanding of manufacturing technologies, involvement with professional societies motivated the attendees’ intellectual curiosity and broadened their vision. Furthermore, developing a network of professional contacts is a valuable step in their career development. Interaction among the participants develops relationships that lead to improved support networks—which better engage underrepresented groups and enhance their long-term retention in research and engineering careers—and creates the opportunity to establish domestic and international collaborations. The 59 selected students include 2 undergraduate, 3 master course, and 54 doctoral course students. Of the 59 students, 11 were from underrepresented groups. Overall, the proposed support promoted the development of engineers and researchers that are ideally suited to lead the growth of manufacturing in the US. Outcome Summary Out of 73 applications, 59 students were selected by three committee members (two from MSEC and one from NAMRC) based on the applicants’ status and research statements. Prof. Kevin Chou (University of Alabama) and I represented MSEC, and Prof. Shreyes Melkote (Georgia Institute of Technology) represented NAMRC. The 59 selected students include 2 undergraduate, 3 master, and 54 doctoral students. Of the 59 students, 11 were from underrepresented groups. The event consisted of 327 technical presentations (165 for MSEC, 67 for NAMRC, and 95 for ICM&P) and 21 poster presentations (11 for MSEC and 10 for ICM&P). In addition, the event included a number of keynote lectures, more than 25 plenary/technical panel presentations with timely topics, invited speakers, an early research career forum, and three workshops jointly developed with the host institute. The ASME Student Manufacturing Design Competition had nine entries from US institutions. The event included 480 participants from 25 countries and was a stimulating learning and training environment for the students. Developing a network of professional contacts is a valuable step in their career development. Interaction among the participants develops relationships that lead to improved support networks—which better engage underrepresented groups and enhance their long-term retention in research and engineering careers—and creates the opportunity to establish domestic and international collaborations. Overall, the proposed support promoted the development of engineers and researchers that are ideally suited to lead the growth of manufacturing in the US.
