Support for Participation in the Student Challenge at the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Precision Engineering; Norfolk, Virginia; 26-30 October 2026

This award provides supports the training of the next generation of precision engineers by funding undergraduate and graduate students from US institutions to participate in the Student Challenge at the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Precision Engineering (ASPE) in Norfolk, Virginia, 26-30 October 2026. ASPE is the leading international conference on precision engineering, attracting researchers and practitioners from academia, industry, and government. Its technical scope spans the fundamentals and applications of precision engineering, including precision manufacturing, metrology, mechatronics, precision control, and ultra-precision systems that enable advances in manufacturing, healthcare, national security, and measurement science. A highlight of the conference is the ASPE Student Challenge, an annual team competition established in 2014 to foster hands-on experience and a deep understanding of precision engineering principles. By supporting student participation in the ASPE Annual Meeting and providing experiential learning through the Student Challenge, this award will help cultivate the next generation of engineers in precision design, metrology, nanomanufacturing and precision control. This award expands student participation in the ASPE Annual Meeting and Student Challenge. ASPE is the flagship conference in the field of precision engineering, with technical coverage spanning mechanical, electrical, and optical metrology; flexure design; mechatronic design; precision control theory and practice; ultra-precision machining; and system integration. Conference activities include oral and poster presentations, expert-led tutorials, commercial presentations, an industrial exhibition, and a student challenge. In 2026, the ASPE Student Challenge will task teams with the design, assembly, and control for a functional nanoindentation system and use it to characterize material properties. Through this project, students will gain key technical knowledge and hands-on experience in precision machine design, precision motion control, principles of measurement science, and rigorous uncertainty evaluation. This award will promote the next generation of precision engineers by (a) providing experiential learning through the hands-on challenge; (b) enabling exposure to foundational knowledge via expert-led tutorials; and (c) offering insight into state-of-the-art research and industrial practices through technical sessions and networking opportunities. 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.