Symposium on Defects and Strain Potential Enabled Emergent Behavior in 2-D Materials; Materials Research Society Fall Meeting; Boston, MA; Nov 28-Dec 3, 2021

The grant provides registration, travel, and/or childcare support for 10 students to attend and present at the Symposium on Defects and Strain Potential Enabled Emergent Behavior in Two-Dimensional Materials, being held as part of the Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting in Boston, MA, November 28th – December 3rd, 2021. The symposium will focus on the mechanics of emergent behavior in two-dimensional materials due to mechanical straining and defect engineering.

The awardees will be selected based on application including a brief resume, a statement of why they want to attend the conference, and conference abstract. While the selection will be open to all groups, members of underrepresented groups will be especially encouraged to apply. 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 research projects to the broader mechanics and material science community. Attendance at the wider conference will also provide the students an opportunity to learn about the engineering profession and state-of-the-art research in the wider fields.

Students will have an opportunity to attend technical presentations, join the keynote and plenary sessions, 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.