Student Support: 2022 Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials Conference and Additive Manufacturing with Powder Metallurgy Conference; Portland, Oregon; June 12-15, 2022

Powder metallurgy (PM) is a topic with applications in literally every portion of the manufacturing sector in the U.S. economy, and therefore, directly impacts economic welfare and national security. It is, thus, important to ensure that the workforce need of powder metallurgy is met as well as the recruitment of current undergraduate and graduate students for this industry matches such a need. This award supports 40 selected graduate and undergraduate students studying at US institutions to participate in the 2022 Powder Metallurgy and Particulate Materials (PowderMet2022) conference, and co-located Additive Manufacturing with Powder Metallurgy (AMPM2022) conference in Portland, Oregon, June 12 - 15, 2022. These annual conferences are the primary source for PM technology transfer and the major host to the largest annual North American exhibit showcasing leading suppliers of PM, particulate materials, and metal additive manufacturing (AM) process equipment, powders, and products, etc. PowderMet/AMPM are considered the premier conferences in this field and draw participants from industry, government laboratories and academic institutions, and thus, ideal for student exposures to this field and the workforce recruitment in a diverse manner for the PM industry.

The award provides student participants with unique opportunities to exchange ideas with leading researchers and engineers from worldwide industrial and governmental facilities, as well as with students and faculty from both domestic and international universities. This will not only stimulate learning and training for the students, but also allows them to be exposed to new research concepts and interact with those researchers who have made new advancements. In addition to acquiring knowledge and an appreciation of the breadth of PM and metal AM, becoming involved with professional societies will motivate students' intellectual curiosity through developing a network of professional contacts and resources. These opportunities will not only improve participants' knowledge in the field but also develop scientists and engineers who are ideally suited to create the next generation of designs in PM and AM that will further advance the nation's manufacturing capabilities.

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.