2019 Global Symposium on Waste Plastic

该奖项将为定于2019年9月19日至20日在肯塔基州列克星敦大学加顿学生中心举行的题为“2019全球废塑料研讨会”的研讨会提供支持。该提案将为与会者提供部分支持，包括相当数量的学生。研讨会的重点将是制定有效的废塑料堆积管理战略，这不仅是美国面临的一个重要而及时的挑战，也是其他国家，特别是发展中国家面临的一个重要挑战。这个问题的严重性体现在目前在海洋中流通的废塑料，这一问题的补救特别具有挑战性。为了减少或以其他方式控制废塑料的堆积，已经实施了各种补救战略，但这些战略并没有得到优化，而且本身就有负面的环境影响。研讨会将回顾学术界、政府、非营利组织和产业界在废塑料供应链减少、回收、再利用、再利用和再制造方面的最新成果。研讨会将通过一系列演讲和非正式会议为学术、政府、工业和非营利组织的研究人员提供相互交流的机会。参与者将反映不同的研究领域，包括生物、化学和工程学科。研讨会将吸引相当数量的年轻研究人员，包括研究生和博士后研究人员。将为学生提供支持，特别是那些来自工程学中代表性不足的群体的学生，包括残疾人。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award will provide support for a symposium titled "2019 Global Symposium on Waste Plastic" scheduled for September 19-20, 2019 in Lexington, KY at the University of Kentucky Gatton Student Center. The proposal will provide partial support for attendees, including a significant number of students. The symposium will focus on developing effective strategies for the management of waste plastic accumulation, which is an important and timely challenge facing not only the US but other countries, especially those in the developing world. The magnitude of the problem is exemplified by waste plastic that currently circulates in oceans, which is especially challenging to remediate. A variety of remediation strategies have been implemented to reduce or otherwise control the accumulation of waste plastic, but, they have not been optimized and have negative environmental effects of their own. The symposium will review recent achievements in academia, government, non-profits, and industry to reduce, recover, reuse, recycle, and remanufacture for the waste plastic supply chain.The symposium will provide opportunities for academic, government, industrial, and non-profit researchers to interact with each other through a series of presentations and informal meetings. Participants will reflect diverse fields of research, including biology, chemistry, and engineering disciplines. The symposium will engage a significant number of young researchers, including graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Support will be provided for students, especially those from underrepresented groups in engineering, including persons with disabilities.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.