Travel: 2023 International Microwave Symposium Educational Initiatives for Project Connect

The project will support student participation in the 2023 IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS), which will be held in San Diego, CA on June 11-16, 2023. Support will be provided for an educational program called Project Connect which was initiated in 2014. The objective of the program is to increase the participation of students from underrepresented minority groups in STEM. The program provides students many exciting opportunities to learn the state-of-the-art technology advancements and interact with potential mentors in the microwave and wireless technological areas. The project aims to develop the technical interests of the student participants, motivating them to be involved in undergraduate research and interested in further studies in graduate program, which will help them develop a successful long-term professional career and contribute to the U.S. STEM workforce. The IEEE IMS addresses research areas in microwave technologies from MHz to THz and is the largest conference in the world in this field. The symposium has played a key role in identifying new directions for research and development. The 4-day agenda of Project Connect program includes community building and professional development, in addition to the technical events and industry exhibition at the symposium. The program’s most impactful benefit is the chance for participants to develop their professional networks and meet wireless and microwave experts from across the globe. The program will be described in IEEE Microwave Magazine, with the aim of encouraging other conferences to develop similar programs. 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.