On behalf of the National Science Foundation (NSF), I am very pleased to extend a most cordial greeting and invitation for you to attend the NSF Year 2000 Design and Manufacturing Research Conference.

The NSF holds the Design and Manufacturing Research Conference annually to review new and ongoing research in the area of design and manufacturing. Originally designed to meet the needs of just one manufacturing program at NSF, the meeting has evolved over twenty-six years to now include research sponsored by various NSF Divisions as well as projects sponsored by our counterpart research organizations in Canada and Mexico. This year our co-sponsors include the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) of Mexico, the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). The conference hosts for this international event are the University of British Columbia and the University of Washington, with Yusuf Altintas and Tony C. Woo serving as co-chairs.

The objective of the conference is to bring together grantees from North America as well as other participants from academia, industry, and government to exchange ideas and share research results, promote the transfer of ideas and technology among researchers and industry practitioners, and influence future research and educational directions in design and manufacturing. Attendees will be able to review projects and interact with representatives of the NSF Divisions of Design, Manufacture and Industrial Innovation including the NSF-wide Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Programs; Electrical and Communication Systems; Materials Research; Information and Intelligent Systems; Civil and Mechanical Systems; Engineering Education and Centers; Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research; and International Programs. Similar interactions will be available with counterpart projects and representatives of NRC, NSERC, and CONACyT. It is important to note that participants are not limited to the above groups. All interested participants are welcome to attend.

The conference will begin on January 3 with a proposal writing workshop presented by NSF program directors and a series of discipline-based gatherings. Poster sessions running from January 4-6 will provide researchers and other attendees with the opportunity to review a broad range of work. Formal plenary sessions during the mornings of January 4-6 will include presentations by prominent industry, government, and educational leaders. A very interesting set of activities including industrial and UBC campus tours as well as social events have also been arranged by our conference hosts as part of the conference program. Additional post conference events include a Symposium on Design Engineering and Education in Canada and an NSF/CONACyT/NSERC Trilateral Workshop on Environmental Design Engineering. These activities will be held at the University of British Columbia on January 7-8.

We look forward to your attendance and participation at our initial event of the new millennium.

Louis A. Martin-Vega
Director, Division of Design, Manufacture and Industrial Innovation
National Science Foundation

NSF Division of Design, Manufacture and Industrial Innovation (DMII)

NSF-US | CONACyT-Mexico | NSERC-Canada | NRC-Canada

Last modified: October 6, 1999