Travel Support for 28th International European Scientific Association for Material FORMing - ESAFORM 2025 Conference; Paestum, Italy; 7-9 May 2025

This award will support 15 students and faculty from US institutions to participate in the 28th International European Scientific Association for Material FORMing (ESAFORM 2025) Conference in Paestum, Italy, 7-9 May 2025. ESAFORM is a world-leading conference that stimulates applied and fundamental research in the broad field of material forming. The event acts as a global bridge between industries and academic institutions as it brings together researchers in the field to encourage discussion, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas. The conference includes keynote speeches, technical presentations, industry tours, and a benchmark competition. A wide variety of forming processes are employed in the manufacturing economy, directly impacting economic welfare and national security. The support provides an opportunity for outstanding student and faculty researchers to attend the conference, present their work, learn from leading experts in the field, and interact with researchers from other institutions and countries, fostering a sense of worldwide community of scientific inquiry. The supported attendees will present research research results, among other activities. Interactions with conference attendees will help the students and faculty determine their specific areas of interest in this broad field and meet colleagues for future interactions and potential collaboration. This will stimulate learning in, provide training on, and expose the participants to new research concepts in material forming. The availability of support will encourage the participation of researchers who otherwise would be unable to afford attending highly specialized advanced manufacturing conferences. 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.