This award will provide partial travel support for 200 U.S.-based undergraduate and graduate students to attend the 2020 Meeting of the North American Membrane Society (NAMS) that is being held in an innovative online format. NAMS is a premier membrane conference, providing outstanding technical sessions across the full breadth of topics within membrane science and technology. The theme of the 2020 meeting is "Emerging Membrane Materials, Processes and Applications," which aligns with several Grand Challenges recently identified by the National Academy of Engineering. The meeting has a rich history of engaging graduate student researchers directly through targeted programs and award opportunities. The goal of this project is to extend these opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students that are typically unable to attend the conference due to cost or time constraints. Additionally, it will provide a platform for students to engage with community leaders, despite the limitations imposed by the ongoing pandemic. In particular, it will impact undergraduate students interested in membrane science and technology but who are not yet committed to pursuing the field as a career. The targeted undergraduate mentoring program will ensure the students take full advantage of the technical, social, and networking opportunities available to them at NAMS 2020. Early engagement in a professional society/conference will provide students with motivation and encouragement to pursue advanced degrees in their respective fields and, subsequently, develop a healthy and diverse workforce.
The NAMS organizing committee is comprised of diverse North American researchers, and invited speakers from academia, industry, and government labs feature prominently in the program. The meeting will feature five technical workshops, over 30 technical sessions, daily plenary sessions, a poster session, and abundant unstructured discussion periods to catalyze new collaborative relationships and research ideas. The 2020 NAMS meeting will cover the following topics: (1) membrane materials - chemistry and characterization; (2) membrane processes - fundamentals and improvements; and (3) membrane applications - water treatment, energy, and biological/food. Historically, hundreds of graduate students participate in the NAMS meeting and engage in unique professional development and training opportunities. This award will extend such opportunities to nearly all the U.S. graduate students in attendance and will target undergraduate student engagement through a mentoring program. Undergraduate students will be paired with senior graduate student mentors who will serve as meeting guides. The program's effectiveness will be assessed through surveys and observation of student outcomes. It is anticipated that the award for meeting registration subsidies will attract diverse young scientists in the field and enhance the membrane science and technology workforce.
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.
