The purpose of this award is to provide partial support for selected graduate students studying in U.S. institutions to participate in the 4M/ICOMM 2015 International Conference on Micromanufacturing that will be held in Milan, Italy, March 31-April 2, 2015. This is a premiere global conference on micromanufacturing expected to draw attendance of 150-300 people from America, Europe and Asia. The venue is the co-location of annual conferences of the International Institute for Micromanufacturing (I2M2) and the 4M Association, convening together the worldwide community of micromanufacturing experts. The 4M/ICOMM serves as a platform for exchange of ideas in the field of micromanufacturing and micro-engineering. It is important to train our next generation of engineers and researchers with a global perspective. This is critical in providing a complete education and high-level perspective to the future industrial leaders and academicians the US students will become.
Fourteen graduate students will receive partial support to attend 4M/ICOMM 2015 to learn about the latest research progress and challenges in micro-manufacturing, and to present papers they coauthored. These students will get an opportunity to network and exchange ideas with leading researchers and engineers from worldwide academe, industrial and governmental facilities, as well as the opportunity to visit with companies involved with micromanufacturing in Europe. In addition to nurturing a global micromanufacturing vision, participants will learn the latest research areas and results in the fields of micromanufacturing. This experience will be very valuable to the selected participants in developing their careers in the manufacturing field. The funding opportunity will be broadly announced giving students ample notice and time to apply. Applications will be reviewed by the conference scientific committee. A total of fourteen students will be partially supported from this award which will help offset expenses for travel, conference registration, and lodging. Each recipient of NSF financial support to attend 4M/ICOMM 2015 must be an author or a co-author of a paper that is accepted for the conference. A short statement on the participant's vision on micromanufacturing will be requested along with a CV as a part of the selection criteria.
