Support of Active Student Participation in the 2020 Meeting of the North American Membrane Society (NAMS)

该奖项将为200名在美国的本科生和研究生提供部分旅行支持，以参加以创新的在线形式举行的2020年北美膜学会（NAMS）会议。NAMS是首屈一指的膜会议，提供杰出的技术会议，涵盖膜科学和技术领域的所有主题。2020年会议的主题是“新兴膜材料、工艺和应用”，这与美国国家工程院最近确定的几项重大挑战相一致。该会议在通过有针对性的项目和奖励机会直接吸引研究生研究人员方面有着丰富的历史。该项目的目标是将这些机会扩展到由于成本或时间限制而通常无法参加会议的本科生和研究生。此外，尽管目前的大流行带来了限制，但它将为学生提供一个与社区领导人接触的平台。特别是，它将影响对膜科学和技术感兴趣但尚未致力于将该领域作为职业的本科生。有针对性的本科指导计划将确保学生充分利用NAMS 2020提供给他们的技术、社会和网络机会。尽早参加专业协会/会议将为学生提供动力和鼓励，使他们在各自的领域获得更高的学位，从而培养一支健康和多样化的劳动力队伍。NAMS组织委员会由不同的北美研究人员组成，并邀请来自学术界，工业界和政府实验室的演讲者在该计划中占据突出地位。会议将包括五个技术研讨会，30多个技术会议，每日全体会议，海报会议和丰富的非结构化讨论期，以促进新的合作关系和研究思路。2020年NAMS会议将涵盖以下主题：(1)膜材料-化学和表征；(2)膜工艺——基本原理和改进；(3)膜应用-水处理、能源和生物/食品。从历史上看，数百名研究生参加NAMS会议，并参与独特的专业发展和培训机会。该奖项将把这样的机会扩展到几乎所有出席的美国研究生，并将通过指导计划瞄准本科生的参与。本科生将与资深研究生导师配对，导师将担任会议向导。该计划的有效性将通过调查和观察学生的成绩来评估。预计，此次会议注册补助金将吸引不同领域的青年科学家，并加强膜科学技术人才队伍。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 partial travel support for 200 U.S.-based undergraduate and graduate students to attend the 2020 Meeting of the North American Membrane Society (NAMS) that is being held in an innovative online format. NAMS is a premier membrane conference, providing outstanding technical sessions across the full breadth of topics within membrane science and technology. The theme of the 2020 meeting is "Emerging Membrane Materials, Processes and Applications," which aligns with several Grand Challenges recently identified by the National Academy of Engineering. The meeting has a rich history of engaging graduate student researchers directly through targeted programs and award opportunities. The goal of this project is to extend these opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students that are typically unable to attend the conference due to cost or time constraints. Additionally, it will provide a platform for students to engage with community leaders, despite the limitations imposed by the ongoing pandemic. In particular, it will impact undergraduate students interested in membrane science and technology but who are not yet committed to pursuing the field as a career. The targeted undergraduate mentoring program will ensure the students take full advantage of the technical, social, and networking opportunities available to them at NAMS 2020. Early engagement in a professional society/conference will provide students with motivation and encouragement to pursue advanced degrees in their respective fields and, subsequently, develop a healthy and diverse workforce.The NAMS organizing committee is comprised of diverse North American researchers, and invited speakers from academia, industry, and government labs feature prominently in the program. The meeting will feature five technical workshops, over 30 technical sessions, daily plenary sessions, a poster session, and abundant unstructured discussion periods to catalyze new collaborative relationships and research ideas. The 2020 NAMS meeting will cover the following topics: (1) membrane materials - chemistry and characterization; (2) membrane processes - fundamentals and improvements; and (3) membrane applications - water treatment, energy, and biological/food. Historically, hundreds of graduate students participate in the NAMS meeting and engage in unique professional development and training opportunities. This award will extend such opportunities to nearly all the U.S. graduate students in attendance and will target undergraduate student engagement through a mentoring program. Undergraduate students will be paired with senior graduate student mentors who will serve as meeting guides. The program's effectiveness will be assessed through surveys and observation of student outcomes. It is anticipated that the award for meeting registration subsidies will attract diverse young scientists in the field and enhance the membrane science and technology workforce.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.