Conference: The 6th Stevens Conference on Bacteria-Material Interactions

Non-technical Description: This award supports the 6th Stevens Conference on Bacteria-Material Interactions to be held in May 2023 on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. This conference attracts about 100 scientists, engineers, and clinician from across the country and world to better understand the problem of infection associated with tissue-contacting biomedical devices such as hip and knee replacements, heart valves, pacemakers, and hernia mesh, among many others. Implant infection is a very significant problem because it usually cannot be cured simply by taking antibiotics. Instead, the implanted device typically must be removed, and this can lead to a range of debilitating complications including death. NSF funding is being used to partially support the travel of a diverse group of as many as ten doctoral research students or advanced undergraduate research students who will present their research findings at the Conference. Participating in the Conference will help further their research and education and provide valuable networking and professional-development opportunities for them. Technical Description: This award supports the 6th Stevens Conference on Bacteria-Material Interactions to be held in May 2023 on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. This conference series began in 2011 and has developed into one of the more visible scientific venues for advancing the field of device-associated infection. The Conference addresses such topics as: clinical needs and challenges; fundamentals of bacteria/material and cell/material interactions; the design and testing of differentially interactive surfaces; and translational issues associated with the development of combination medical devices. The Conference convergently assembles leading experts in the various disciplines addressing this problem to define current and anticipated challenges that must be overcome in order to advance the field. Its specific aims are to: assess contemporary cross-disciplinary thinking; define multiple perspectives needs/directions for the overall field; train stakeholders across basic and translational thinking; and provide broad networking and teambuilding opportunities for all stakeholder groups. NSF funds will be used to partially support the travel costs for a diverse and interdisciplinary group of as many as ten doctoral and advanced-undergraduate research students to attend the Conference to present their research findings. 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.