The purpose of this project is to provide travel assistance for students to attend and present technical papers at the 2010 American Control Conference (2010 ACC) in Baltimore, Maryland from June 30 through July 2, 2010. Financial support requested from the National Science Foundation, along with matching support from the American Automatic Control Council (AACC), the ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division (ASME DSCD), and the IEEE Control Systems Society (IEEE CSS), shall be used to defray the travel expenses of an estimated 125 student attendees.
Intellectual Merit: The American Control Conference is one of the most prestigious control conferences in the world with an expected level of participation of over 2,000 scientists, students, and practicing engineers. The conference is sponsored by the American Automatic Control Council and co-sponsored by its eight member societies: AIAA, AIChE, AISE, ASCE, ASME, IEEE, ISA, and SCS. The conference will focus on theoretical issues, engineering methodologies, and industrial applications in all areas of control systems research and development. The project funding will enable US students to participate in a high quality, peer-reviewed technical conference that is attended by many of the research leaders in the systems and control area. With over 1,000 technical presentations, numerous technical workshops, plenary lectures, group panel discussions by leaders on numerous issues of special importance, and industry exhibits, the 2010 ACC will expose the students to state-of-the-art and socially relevant emerging areas of research and technology in the systems and control area. The conference provides a unique opportunity for students to present their work to a distinguished audience of peers and renowned researchers. The conference also provides a means for students to establish or enhance professional networks and partnerships leading to career opportunities in industry, academia, and government labs as well as professional memberships in one or more of the co-sponsoring societies. Since the control systems field is interdisciplinary in nature, student participants will have a unique opportunity to interact with their peers from other fields of engineering and from the pure sciences. The rich experience from such interactions will benefit their career and professional development. Students from engineering, mathematics and other pure sciences are eligible for funding from this project.
Broader Impacts: By attracting individuals to the exciting field of control science and engineering while they are students, the 2010 ACC plays a vital role in the development of the next generation of researchers and practitioners. Control systems are ubiquitous; they can be found in such diverse areas as automated manufacturing systems, automobiles, manned/unmanned aircraft and space access vehicles, refineries, power plants, communication systems, chemical process control systems, and, more recently, the Internet, biomedical systems, the electrical power grid and green energy systems. Modern engineering systems are becoming increasingly complex in this information rich world. Advances in sensing and control technology are making it possible to manage and control modern complex engineering systems. Control systems technology is a critical area for the US industry and the future technological edge and security of the United States depends on maintaining a pool of trained scientists and engineers. The students funded under this project will lead the future advancement of control systems technology. Travel support for student participants, in the form of 2010 ACC Student Travel Grants, will be advertised nationally. Underrepresented groups including women, minorities, and disabled students will be especially encouraged to apply.
Summary The purpose of this project was to provide travel assistance for students to attend and present technical papers at the 2010 American Control Conference (2010 ACC) in Baltimore, Maryland from June 30 through July 2, 2010. Financial support provided by the National Science Foundation, along with additional support from the American Automatic Control Council (AACC), the ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division (ASME DSCD), and the IEEE Control Systems Society (IEEE CSS), was used to defray the travel expenses of 93 student attendees. Intellectual Merit The American Control Conference is annually one of the most prestigious control conferences in the world with a typical level of participation of over 2,000 scientists, students, and practicing engineers. The conference is sponsored by the American Automatic Control Council and co-sponsored by its eight member societies: AIAA, AIChE, AISE, ASCE, ASME, IEEE, ISA, and SCS. The conference focuses on theoretical issues, engineering methodologies, and industrial applications in all areas of control systems research and development. The NSF project funding for the 2010 ACC enabled 25 students to participate in a high quality, peer-reviewed technical conference that was attended by many of the research leaders in the systems and control area. With over 1,000 technical presentations, numerous technical workshops, plenary lectures on numerous topics of special importance, and industry exhibits, the 2010 ACC exposed the students to state-of-the-art and socially-relevant emerging areas of research and technology in the systems and control area. The conference provided a unique opportunity for students to present their work to a distinguished audience of peers and renowned researchers. The conference also provided a means for students to establish or enhance professional networks and partnerships leading to career opportunities in industry, academia, and government labs as well as professional memberships in one or more of the co-sponsoring societies. Since the control systems field is interdisciplinary in nature, student participants had a unique opportunity to interact with their peers from other fields of engineering and from the pure sciences. The rich experience from such interactions will benefit their future career and professional development. Students from engineering, mathematics and other pure sciences were eligible for funding from this project. Broader Impacts By attracting individuals to the exciting field of control science and engineering while they are students, the ACC plays a vital role in the development of the next generation of researchers and practitioners. Control systems are ubiquitous; they can be found in such diverse areas as automated manufacturing systems, automobiles, manned/unmanned aircraft and space access vehicles, refineries, power plants, communication systems, chemical process control systems, and, more recently, the Internet, biomedical systems, the electrical power grid and green energy systems. Modern engineering systems are becoming increasingly complex in this information rich world. Advances in sensing and control technology are making it possible to manage and control modern complex engineering systems. Control systems technology is a critical area for the US industry and the future technological edge and security of the United States depends on maintaining a pool of trained scientists and engineers. The students funded under this project will lead the future advancement of control systems technology. Travel support for student participants, in the form of 2010 ACC Student Travel Grants, was advertised nationally.
