Travel: ACM/IFIP Middleware 2025 Conference Travel Grant

This project provides travel support for U.S.-based graduate and select undergraduate students to attend the ACM/IFIP Middleware 2025 Conference at Vanderbilt University. Middleware refers to the software that enables communication and coordination across complex, distributed systems, which are key to technologies such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things. The conference allows students to engage with cutting-edge research, learn about emerging challenges and technologies, and connect with academic and industry professionals from around the world in the field of middleware and computing. Through exposure to high-quality presentations, hands-on tutorials, and dedicated mentoring events, such as the doctoral symposium, students gain insights into both theoretical foundations and practical applications. This early immersion strengthens research, builds professional networks, and opens pathways to careers in science and technology. By offering access to high-impact research forums, the project helps foster a well-prepared STEM workforce. This project supports full/partial travel costs for 15 to 18 U.S.-based graduate students and a small number of exceptional undergraduates to attend ACM/IFIP Middleware 2025. The conference features a single-track technical program, workshops, tutorials, and a long-running doctoral symposium focused on distributed systems and middleware technologies. Students will be selected based on academic merit, financial need, and potential benefit from participation. The program emphasizes engagement with emerging research areas in scalable and dependable middleware systems and promotes broader participation in the computing research community. The project aligns with NSF's mission to advance cyberinfrastructure and workforce development. 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.