Conference: Participant Support for the 2023 Biomedical Engineering Society - Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Conference; Palm Springs, California; 2-6 January 2023

This award provides support for junior researchers (graduate students, postdoc fellows, and untenured faculty) to attend the 2023 Biomedical Engineering Society - Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Conference to be held 2-6 January 2023, in Indian Wells, California. The individuals supported will attend the conference and present a poster or oral presentation. These junior researchers will benefit from the technical experience and professional networking in both formal and informal settings at the conference. Consideration in the selection process will be given to the inclusion of members of underrepresented groups, diversity of institutions that the students represent, and diversity of programs within cellular and molecular bioengineering. This opportunity will have societal and economic impact of the field of biomechanics, mechanobiology, biomaterials, tissue engineering, developmental bioengineering and disease modeling, and in developing the next generation of researchers and engineers from diverse backgrounds. The Biomedical Engineering Society - Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Conferences are a leading forum for bringing together diverse, interdisciplinary groups of researchers to discuss advances in highly focused symposia. In 2023, the conference will have approximately 180-200 attendees participating multiple technical thematic sessions that include the topics of cell state transitions, cell competition in development and diseases, transcriptional noise and cell states, links between biophysical and biochemical states, immune cell states, and new technologies and approaches for regenerative medicine. The opportunity to attend and present will broaden the participating researchers’ technical understanding, stimulate the development of new ideas and research topics, and provide numerous professional development and networking opportunities. 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.