2018 Gordon Research Conference on Catalysis: Accelerating Catalytic Solutions to Global Grand Challenges

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The proposal requests funds to partially support registration fees for U.S. student participation in the 2018 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Catalysis, which will be held on June 24-29, 2018 at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH, along with the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Catalysis, a new forum that is held two days prior to the main conference (June 23-24, 2018) and is designed specifically to engage and support new entrants to the field of catalysis and to give them the opportunity to build their professional network. The 2018 GRC in Catalysis titled, "Accelerating Catalytic Solutions to Global Grand Challenges," reflects the research background of the Chair, Fabio H. Ribeiro (Chemical Engineering, Purdue University) in the application of catalyst synthesis, reaction kinetics, in situ and operando spectroscopic characterization and theory to understand catalysis. The 2018 GRC in Catalysis, along with the associated GRS in Catalysis, will fully engage chemists, chemical engineers, and materials scientists in a meeting that focuses on applying ground breaking, fundamental advances in catalytic chemistry to address global grand challenges. The Catalysis GRC plays an important role in enhancing the development of researchers in early stages of their careers. The GRC format is designed to foster an environment of in-depth scientific discussion and relationship building among participants. Sufficient time has been set aside both in the seminar room and during breaks and poster sessions for the younger members of the community to discuss new ideas and concepts with recognized research leaders that may lead to a lifetime of collaboration and scientific achievement. Also, this year we will start a new tradition with the addition of the Catalysis GRS that will bring together graduate students, postdocs, and early-career professionals to discuss their cutting-edge research among peers and mentors in a highly-stimulating and non-intimidating environment over two days prior to the main conference, to which they will be invited. The program will incorporate a mixture of academic and industrial perspectives as well as encourage participation from underrepresented groups. The GRC will have a strong positive diversity impact with women accounting for 45% of the invited speakers, which is a significantly higher percentage than the historical average. To aid to this diversity goal, there will be a Monday afternoon session titled "Power Hour: Committed to Inclusion and the Professional Development of Women in Science," which is an informal gathering open to all meeting participants. This session is designed to help address the challenges women face in science and to support the professional growth of women in our communities by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring.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.