DOE OSTI2018
The biennial North American Catalysis Society (NACS) meeting is the premiere conferences in the area of catalysis, surface science, and reaction engineering. The 25th installment of this meeting will be held the week of June 4-9, 2017 in Denver, CO at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Meeting objectives include bringing together leading researchers for intensive scientific exchange, providing students with an opportunity to present their work and interact with leaders in the field, and participate in service to scientific/technical community. Financial support to offset a portion of the associated costs – and specifically, registration fees, airline tickets, and hotel accommodations – encourages greater participation by graduate and undergraduate students, and often provides them the only opportunity to attend and meaningfully contribute to the conference. The funds sought in this proposal will be in support of the Richard J. Kokes Travel Award program. The eligibility criteria for undergraduates and graduate students applying for a merit-based Awards are that they must study at a university within the United States and present either a poster or presentation at the meeting. In the previous meeting in Pittsburgh, NACS received 200 applications and funded 110 students. Similarly, during the meeting in Louisville, NACS received 225 applications and funded nearly half of them. The NACS has an on-going tradition of encouraging graduate students (and more recently, undergraduates as well) to participate in and serve at the national meetings Providing financial support is one of the most effective means of accomplishing this goal. Their attendance significantly broadens their scientific training beyond what can be accomplished in the classroom, and offers them an opportunity to improve their communication and presentation skills. As an attendee to the 25th NAM, students will participate by listening to presentations from leading researchers from the U.S. and abroad, and they will be able to interact with them and receive invaluable advice regarding their research and future career. They will be able to meet with and debate with their peers from other universities, and learn about results from the latest technological innovations that could benefit their own research projects. Through their own service at the meeting – a requirement of the Kokes Travel Award – they will become active participating members of the catalysis community. The graduate and undergraduate students of today are the scientists and engineers of tomorrow. Proper training for them now leads to scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations in the future, and these in turn benefit the US economy. Catalysis permeates numerous aspects of our lives, and advances in the field result in more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly chemical processes (e.g., catalytic convertors), improved fuel cell and battery performance and lifetimes, efficient alternative fuel and hydrogen production, enhanced utilization of biorenewable resources, and a cleaner environment.
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