2011 NSF Engineering Research and Innovation Conference
About the Conference
This premier National Science Foundation (NSF) conference, sponsored by the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), focuses on research and education across the Division’s programs. CMMI’s mission is to fund fundamental research and education in support of NSF’s strategic goals, which are directed toward advances in the civil, mechanical, industrial and manufacturing engineering disciplines. Additionally, CMMI focuses on the reduction of risks and damage resulting from earthquakes and other natural and technological hazards.
With an anticipated international attendance of 1,300 people from academe, industry, and government, the program for the January 2011 conference will be centered on the theme Engineering for Sustainability and Prosperity, and will emphasize the role civil, mechanical, industrial, and manufacturing engineers will be required to play in addressing the world’s growing challenges of using energy and natural resources in a sustainable manner.
The conference will highlight the technical challenges and research needs in energy management and sustainability—a topic of global importance today —and thereby stimulate new ideas for scientific research and technological innovation. Furthermore, the involvement of graduate and undergraduate student researchers in the conference will serve to intellectually stimulate them and enhance the probability of their pursuing graduate work in the areas of energy management/production and sustainability.
Focusing on the importance of educating the world’s youth in engineering and technological areas, a special component of this year’s conference will be the K–12 Outreach Program. Organized by the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), in partnership with K–12 schools in the Atlanta area, this program will have two primary foci. One component will feature exhibits and demonstrations of engineering resources on display at the conference for viewing by invited K–12 students and teachers, university students and faculty, as well as conference attendees. Additionally, the Outreach Program will provide a presentation venue for high school students who have conducted research and designed engineering projects that are aligned with the conference theme.
Conference activities will include more than 1,000 poster presentations; technical tours of local companies and Georgia Tech; and plenary and breakout sessions on funding opportunities and proposal writing, research needs, opportunities, and best practices. The conference also will provide an excellent opportunity for networking between NSF grantees, students, industry, and government, hopefully motivating them to become innovators in these areas in their future careers, and make a positive impact on society.
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