2025 NSF Student Poster Competition & ME Rising Star Celebration at ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE); Memphis, Tennessee; 16-20 November 2025

About This Grant

This grant provides travel support funds for undergraduate and graduate students and early career faculty to attend the 2025 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (ASME-IMECE) in Memphis, Tennessee; 16-20 November 2025. The travel funds will support 30 undergraduate and graduate students to present at a special poster session and 15 Assistant Professors to attend the ASME-IMECE and participate in the inaugural Mechanical Engineering Rising Star Celebration, expected to attract hundreds of participants. Both events will be open to all eligible conference attendees. The travel award selection will consider the full breadth of institutions represented by the students and faculty, as well as the variety of programs within engineering. This grant aims to benefit the nation by educating a skilled engineering workforce prepared to provide transformative solutions to the challenges in their fields. Participant support is expected to enhance students' professional, scientific, and technical development as they present their NSF-funded research projects at the largest mechanical engineering conference in the nation. Students are expected to improve their communication skills through discussions of their work with top researchers. Participants will also have the chance to attend various technical presentations, keynote and plenary sessions featuring technological pioneers, and network with potential mentors, colleagues, and employers. For faculty, particularly untenured members, the conference provides a unique opportunity to network and form crucial connections with Rising Stars in Mechanical Engineering, offering long-term career benefits. This project is funded by programs within the Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovations (CMMI) and the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET). 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.