The Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, VA, is extending an invitation to attend their 2009 Research and Innovation Conference being held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.  Specifically, they have planned a student outreach session to be held on June 24 and June 25 between 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

The activities and displays will be designed for middle and high school students, but will also be appropriate for students of all ages and the general public.  Currently, the following displays and activities are planned to be featured:

1) NEES Tsunami Wave Basin courtesy of Oregon State University – Students will be able to learn about the effects and forces of a tsunami wave on structures by building and then testing structures in a 20-foot long scale wave basin;

2) NEES Portable Shake Tables courtesy of California State University, Sacramento – Students will learn how structures react to the shaking forces caused during earthquakes;

3) NEES Mac Accelerometer Exhibit courtesy of the San Diego Supercomputer Center at the University of California, San Diego – An accelerometer will be connected to a large flat screen display to visualize ground vibrations;

4) Student Robotics Display – Robotics teams and clubs from the Honolulu area will be displaying their robotics for students and researchers.  This session is tentative based on available participation.

5) CMMI Grantee Poster Session – This poster session will be held at the same time and location as the student activities.  Most of these posters will be post doctoral researchers with university affiliations.  There will be some graduate students from the United States and overseas, as well as industry researchers.  A number of grantees have volunteered their time to speak to students about their research and engineering in general.