Conference: Support for Future Faculty Symposium at 60th Society of Engineering Science (SES) Conference; Minneapolis, Minnesota; 8-11 October 2023

This award is to provide travel and registration support to 40 senior PhD students and postdocs to participate in the inaugural Future Faculty symposium in the 2023 Society of Engineering Science (SES) Technical Meeting that will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 8-11 October 2023. This is the 60th installment of this conference with primary focus on mechanics, with participation of experts from various engineering disciplines, physical and life sciences, as well as mathematics. The symposium will have two components: a poster session and a fishbowl conversation panel, which will offer the prospects an opportunity to highlight their credentials and learn from various stakeholders, respectively, while forming valuable connections. Due consideration in the candidate selection process will be given to members of underrepresented groups and to diversity of institutions. The award will benefit the nation through the experiences gained by future faculty prospects who are expected to add to the skilled and diverse engineering workforce, better prepared for challenges of their chosen fields. The objective of this symposium is to enable a diverse pool of faculty prospects to learn, network, and improve their chances for success in academia. In the first part of the symposium, the poster session will provide an opportunity for these prospects to highlight their research and education credentials to the conference participants. In the second part of the symposium, the fishbowl conversation panel will be attended by faculty of all ranks, department heads, and federal program managers, who will offer their advice and experience to the prospects on the application process, interview pitch and expectations, and transition. This event will provide significant visibility to the prospects, offer opportunity to network with mentors, and facilitate connection with employers. In return, the community will also be introduced to potential new leaders in the field. This first-ever event is designed to support the development of the workforce of tomorrow. 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.