2021 NSF Student Poster Competition at the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (ASME-IMECE); Virtual; November 1-5, 2021

The objective of this researched effort is to provide support for 100 students who are currently working with Principal Investigators through NSF funding from the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) or Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs to attend the 2021 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (ASME-IMECE) virtually and participate in a student poster competition. The awardees will be selected based on application including a brief resume, a one-page statement of why they want to attend the conference, and a statement of support from their faculty advisor.

Consideration in the selection process will be given to inclusion of members of underrepresented groups, diversity of institutions that the students represent, and diversity of programs within engineering. The competition is divided into the topics of (1) NSF-funded research grants/programs and (2) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REUs). This award will benefit the nation through the education of a skilled and diverse engineering workforce better prepared to provide transformative solutions the challenges of their chosen fields.

This participation support is expected to benefit students' professional, scientific and technical development as they present their NSF funded research projects to the broad Mechanical Engineering community. Attendance at the conference will provide the students a wonderful opportunity to learn about the engineering profession and state-of-the-art research in their fields via access to technical and professional development talks by domestic and international speakers.

Students will enhance their communication skills via lively discussions of their work with the top researchers in their fields during the society-wide Poster Symposium. They will also have an opportunity to attend many technical presentations, join the keynote and plenary sessions featuring technological pioneers, and network with potential mentors, colleagues, and employers.

This interactive experience will significantly broaden their education, increase their enthusiasm for their research topic, acquaint them with expectations for scientific careers, and expose them to new avenues for innovative research.

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.