Conference: Nature-based Solutions for Resilient Communities: Preparing Students to Address Grand Challenges in Ecological Engineering

The primary objective of NSF partial support of this conference is to deepen student engagement and ownership in the Ecological Engineering discipline. NSF will be used primarily to support student activities at the 2023 annual meeting of the American Ecological Engineering Society (AEES) at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. It is expected that 80 - 125 students will attend, and they will be directly exposed to state-of-the-art research, emerging dialogue about the role of diversity equity and inclusion in the engineering practice, and to an internationally recognized network of ecological engineers to inspire their development and careers in Ecological Engineering. This conference will provide critical student-targeted opportunities, including need-based housing scholarships, career development sessions, networking social events, a poster competition, and a diversity, inclusion, and environmental justice working session. Ecological Engineering has been defined as "the design of sustainable ecosystems that integrate human society with the natural environment for the benefit of both". Ecological Engineering incorporates the disciplines of ecology and engineering to solve environmental problems and to design, build, and restore systems that provide long-term economic, environmental, and social benefits. As a field that seeks to integrate knowledge from across diverse fields to address today's challenges, Ecological Engineering is an example of Growing Convergence Research, one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas. Conference support from NSF will allow more students to attend the conference, especially students from diverse backgrounds, and will permit more students to participate in the student design competition, network with professionals in the field, and be a part of the career and Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion panel that will take place. By providing students with accommodation scholarships, career development sessions, presentation opportunities, Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion engagement, and professional networking opportunities, this conference will directly contribute to Broadening Participation in STEM. Moreover, the conference theme is "Nature-based Solutions for Resilient Communities", and it is anticipated that this topic will provide a profound opportunity for students to learn how the field is critical to addressing some of the society's most pressing issues. 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.