Keynote, Undergraduate R&D Expo Among Many Special Activities Slated for IMECE 2018

The ASME 2018 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE 2018), the world’s largest interdisciplinary mechanical engineering conference, begins Nov. 9 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The conference, which will be held through Nov. 15 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the Westin Convention Center Hotel, will feature more than 470 technical sessions over 16 technical tracks, as well as a packed schedule, including a variety of other special events.

The keynote event will take place on Monday, Nov. 12, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in Ballroom A of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. During the presentation, “Longer Lifespan: The Value of Satellite Servicing and In Space Robotics,” Frank DeMauro of Northrop Grumman will discuss the various methods for in-orbit life extension and in-orbit spacecraft assembly currently in development. DeMauro, who is vice president and general manager of the Advanced Programs Division of the Space Systems Group at Northrop Grumman, will also detail the status of the company’s robotic and non-robotic capabilities as well as Northrop Grumman's future plans for commercial servicing vehicles.

This year’s IMECE will also feature a number of special events geared toward students attending the conference, including the Undergraduate Research and Design Expo Student Poster Competition on Sunday, Nov. 11, in Hall B of the convention center. This annual event, which will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., provides undergraduate mechanical engineering students with a professional and technical forum where they can present their research, design project or other engineering endeavors and interact with their fellow researchers.

On Wednesday, Nov. 14, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will offer a daylong program that kicks off with a panel discussion that will provide attendees with an overview of the Foundation’s Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) Division and its programs. The panel session will be followed by one-on-one sessions where principal investigators can meet with NSF program directors, a proposal development workshop covering the fundamentals of successful grant proposal writing for the NSF, a session that will offer an overview of the NSF’s Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET) Division, and the NSF Student Poster Competition.

This year’s IMECE program will also feature two special plenary sessions. Mark Hindsbo, vice president and general manager of the Design Business Unit at ANSYS, will present the first of these plenaries, “Innovation in Engineering,” on Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. The following day, Vijay Kumar, the Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, will deliver the closing luncheon plenary. His presentation, titled “AI, Robotics, Automation and the Future of Work,” will take place from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in Ballroom A of the convention center.

Other special events scheduled to take place during IMECE 2018 include:

• Old Guard Oral Presentation Finals, Saturday, Nov. 10, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Westmoreland Central, Westin Hotel;
• Student Design Competition Finals, Sunday, Nov. 11, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Ballroom B, David L. Lawrence Convention Center;
• Members and Students Luncheon (ticketed event), Sunday, Nov. 11, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Allegheny Grand Ballroom II, Third Floor, Westin Hotel;
• First-Time Attendees Orientation, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Room 407, David L. Lawrence Convention Center;
• ASME FutureME Mini-Talks, Sunday, Nov. 11, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Rooms 411 and 412, David L. Lawrence Convention Center;
• Exhibit Hall Grand Opening and Opening Reception, Sunday, Nov. 11, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Hall B, David L. Lawrence Convention Center;
• President’s Luncheon (ticketed event), Monday, Nov. 12, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Allegheny Grand Ballroom II, Third Floor, Westin Hotel;
• ME/MET Department Heads Forum, Monday, Nov. 12, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Westmoreland Central and East, Second Floor, Westin Hotel;
• Honors Reception, Monday, Nov. 12, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Ballroom A Foyer, David L. Lawrence Convention Center;
• Honors Assembly, Monday, Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Ballroom A, David L. Lawrence Convention Center;
• Heat Transfer Division Awards Luncheon (ticketed event); Tuesday, Nov. 13; 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., Pennsylvania East and West, Second Floor, Westin Hotel;
• ASME Auxiliary Guest Luncheon: “ASME Auxiliary — Celebrating 95 Years,” (ticketed event), Tuesday, Nov. 13, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Westmoreland West, Second Floor, Westin Hotel;
• Women in Engineering Reception, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Crawford East and West, Third Floor, Westin Hotel;
• Applied Mechanics Division Honors and Awards (ticketed event), Tuesday, Nov. 13, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Westmoreland Central and East, Second Floor, Westin Hotel;
• Robert Henry Thurston Lecture, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Room 410, David L. Lawrence Convention Center; and
• Aerospace Division Reception, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 5:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., Pennsylvania West, Second Floor, Westin Hotel.

For more information on the ASME 2018 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition or to view the final conference program, visit go.asme.org/IMECE.