Title : Engineering News, Fall 1992 Type : Letter NSF Org: ENG Date : September 25, 1992 File : nsf9296 Engineering News, Fall 1992 --------------------------- Engineering News Fall 1992 Highlights Water Quality Meeting Held 3 SBIR Shown to Spur Manufacturing Gains 3 Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Zones 4 ENG Strategies Prompt Organizational Change 4 Former Soviet Union Grants Prioritized 5 Structural Control Initiative Awards 5 Martin-Vega to Leave for F.I.T. 6 Possible U.S.-China Earthquake Research 6 PFF Fellows Named 6 NSF Outreach Programs Continue 7 Staff Update 7 Director's Awards to ENG Employees 7 Calendar of Events 8 NSF Support for Infrastructure Research New and active efforts in civil infrastructure systems are forthcoming following a number of recent moves by the Engineering Directorate. These include the Structural Control Research Initiative awards (reported elsewhere in this issue), the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NSF and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the NSF Workshop on Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS). The MOU signed by Dr. Joseph Bordogna, Assistant Director for Engineering, and R. J. Betsold, Deputy Associate Administrator for Research and Development, FHWA, promotes the advancement of mutual engineering research interests of the two groups and better provides for technology transfer among the agencies and the private sector. The MOU sets forth basic guidelines under which both parties foster cooperative and joint sponsorship of research. One of the primary examples of NSF/FHWA cosponsorship is the establishment of the U.S. National Geotechnical Experi- mentation sites, a three-year, $900,000 project co-funded by the two agencies. Similar national sites have been effectively used to great advantage in other countries, resulting in significant economic benefits. In this country, such sites would facilitate the evaluation of new techniques in environmental geotechnology, soil improvement and geotechnical infrastructure construction through large-scale experiments. Installation of permanent instrumentation permits measurement of site response during earthquakes and improves the understanding of predictive capabilities. The CIS Workshop, held earlier this year, brought together more than 40 experts from government, industry, and academe to review the current state of CIS knowledge and practice, problems and solution approaches. The general consensus spoke of a need to initiate a research program on CIS that would be broadbased and multidisciplinary and would have a key component of knowledge transfer and realization. Results of the Workshop are being analyzed prior to publication. Emphasis is being placed on integrating all engineering and science disciplines across NSF toward resolving the nation's civilian infrastructure dilemmas. New EECs: GATEWAY and SUCCEED Two new Engineering Education Coalitions (EECs) now funded by the NSF support bold, innovative, comprehensive, and systematic new models for undergraduate education. Each of the university coalitions, GATEWAY and SUCCEED, has been awarded $15 million over a five-year period, with matching funds provided by participating academic institutions and their industrial partners. The coalitions are expected to foster curriculum innovation based on the integrative nature of engineering and to attain a dramatic increase in the quality of education and the number of engineering baccalaureate degrees awarded, especially to women and underrepresented minorities. The coalitions are formed from diverse institutions. They include historically black schools, public and private universities, small institutions that concentrate on undergraduate education, and major research universities with large graduate programs. Changes in engineering education in the United States are needed as we confront the challenges of the 21st century, said NSF Assistant Director for Engineering, Joseph Bordogna. Through the Engineering Education Coalitions Program, NSF is making a serious commitment to foster systemic, structural change in engineering education. The GATEWAY coalition encourages engineering students by focusing on four broad areas: curriculum structure; human potential and development; instructional technology and methodology; and quality assurance and evaluation measures. The collaborative team includes Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, Drexel University, Cooper Union, Florida International University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, University of Pennsylvania, Polytechnic University, and University of South Carolina. The SUCCEED (Southeastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education) coalition strives to achieve a 50 percent increase coalition-wide in the enrollment and graduation rates of female and underrepresented minority students, as well as to restructure the engineering curriculum and improve the quality and quantity of engineering graduates. The participating universities are Clemson, Florida A&M/Florida State University, University of Florida, Georgia Institute of Technology, North Carolina A&T State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina State University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Both coalitions emphasize engaging students in engineering from the day they matriculate; making the study of engineering more attractive, exciting, and fulfilling; developing students as emerging professional leaders; increasing the diversity of academic backgrounds and the number of women, underrepresented minorities, and people with disabilities in the field; and drawing engineering faculty to an investment in the teaching of undergraduate students. The emphasis in engineering education must shift from a dedication to course content to a more comprehensive view, focusing on the development of human resources and the broader educational experience in which the individual parts are connected and integrated, said Eli Fromm, Project Director of the GATEWAY coalition. His view is supported by SUCCEED Project Director Michael Littlejohn who added, We hope we're going to be so successful that universities around the world will use what we have developed. With the addition of the two new coalitions, NSF has brought to four the total number of university coalitions funded. The first two, ECSEL and SYNTHESIS, were established in 1990 and already are making a dramatic impact on the quality of engineering education, according to educators and professionals in the field. Health Care Technologies Subject of Meeting New engineering research efforts in improved delivery and health care cost containment are expected to be stimulated following a meeting jointly sponsored by ENG's Division of Biological and Critical Systems (BCS) and the Whitaker Foundation. The meeting, April 23-24 in Washington, D.C., brought together a panel of experts, including representatives from the Division of Design and Manufacturing Systems (DDM). Among audience participants were biomedical engineers, physicians, social workers, health care professionals, and others concerned with containing or reducing health care costs and improving the cost effectiveness, quality, and accessibility of the health care system. The major objectives of the meeting were to initiate a dialog between leaders in the field, establish the major issues facing the health care system, and identify those areas where engineering can make significant contributions to the resolution of the issues identified. Some of the areas addressed include: Research to develop appropriate technology for low-cost measurement and monitoring systems intended for alternative sites, and to enhance patient independence and return to function; Research to develop new low-cost diagnostic systems; Research to develop methods of using technology to minimize hospital stays; Research in communication and information technologies; Technology for behavior modification to improve disease prevention and compliance; Research to develop new therapeutic technologies; and Technology for system integration. The panel discussed a host of possible criteria for evaluation of research proposals, and recommended the planning of a workshop to include such topics as appropriate technology, minimally invasive sensing, production technology/cycle time, information technologies, education, communications, and design and manufacturing. Water Quality Meeting Held The International Water Quality Association (IWQA) conference drew more than 200 attendees from 60 countries and heard many papers dealing with NSF-supported research, including one on the survivability of HIV when subjected to environmental stress. Dr. Edward H. Bryan, Director of ENG's Environmental Engineering Program, reported that a number of the papers focused on critical societal issues and application of new technologies. For example, a paper in the session on health-related water microbiology by Drs. Leonard W. Casson and Phalguni Gupta of the University of Pittsburgh described efforts to assess the stability of the HIV virus in domestic wastewater. In a paper based on this research, which was published in the May/June 1992 issue of Water Environment Research, Casson and his coauthors compared the survival of the HIV to poliovirus and found that...under similar conditions, HIV survival was significantly less. In his renewal project, he plans to study the survival of the HIV in wastewater after various stages in its treatment and work on improvement of concentration and assay procedures for the virus. Other papers included one presented by S. Farooq, Professor of Civil Engineering at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia, and co-authored by professors in the University of Miami and Florida International University's (FIU) Departments of Civil Engineering, FIU's Drinking Water Research Center, and Miami's Department of Industrial Engineering. His research on treatment of wastewater was conducted using a large-scale electron beam accelerator located at the Miami-Dade Wastewater Treatment Plant on Virginia Key. This accelerator was installed there ten years ago following NSF-supported research that found the ionizing radiation from an electron beam to be an effective method to disinfect sludges derived from treatment of wastewater. The water conference, formerly known as the International Association on Water Pollution Research and Control (IAWPRC), officially became the International Water Quality Association (IWQA) at its 16th Biennial Conference in Washington, D.C., May 24-30. SBIR Shown to Spur Manufacturing Gains An analysis of grant awards by Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Division of Industrial Innovation Interface, indicates that a significant number of them can be directly linked to manufacturing and productivity enhancement. Awards from 1977 through 1991 were reviewed for relevance to manufacturing. Relevance was defined as closely related, related, or supportive of manufacturing. Of more than 1,600 awards, 44 were ranked as closely related, namely those resulting in the development of a process or machine for use on the manufacturing floor. Projects ranked as related numbered 214 and involved the development of tools, robots, software, and materials handling equipment or sensors for use in industrial manufacturing processes. Projects rated as supportive numbered 360 and involved such items as instruments for nondestructive testing or tool quality, preparation of or growth of materials for semiconductor manufacturing, or computer programs for the design of chips. While not all of these projects were successful or resulted in a commercial product, the analysis shows almost 40 percent of the awards were related to manufacturing. Industrial relevance and commercial potential, as well as scientific excellence, are the criteria used in making awards. Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Zones Final decisions from the proposal review process on a climate change impact initiative are expected to be announced soon. NSF received forty proposals in response to the announcement in NSF 92-33, before the May 15 deadline. Dr. J. Eleonora Sabadell, Director of the Natural and Man-Made Hazard Mitigation Program, reported that information about the initiative had been sent to the research community informing it of the opportunity to present proposals regarding the possible impact on coastal zones by climatic change. The joint effort supported by the Divisions of Biological and Critical Systems (BCS), Mechanical and Structural Systems (MSS), Electrical and Communication Systems (ECS), and Chemical and Thermal Systems (CTS) seeks to advance ways to predict, assess, and mitigate the effects of climatic changes on coastal zone physical characteristics. Four main critical research areas identified for this initiative are: Vulnerability of coastal areas to the action of natural and anthropogenic forces coupled with possible global climate and sea level changes; Effects of these combined stresses on shorelines, estuaries, marshlands, barrier islands, infrastructure, geosystems, and constructed systems; Improved and new adaptation measures to potential new coastal conditions; and Improved and new mitigation and modification techniques and procedures for minimizing impacts on these areas under climate-induced changes. Up to $5 million will be awarded over a period of five years. ENG Strategies Prompt Organizational Change The merger of two ENG Divisions, Engineering Research Centers and Engineering Infrastructure, to form the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) will streamline Directorate efforts in engineering education and center-based research and make long-range strategies more flexible. In addition, the name change of the Division of Industrial Science and Technological Innovation to the Division of Industrial Innovation Interface (III) will better reflect its mission and goals. According to Dr. Joseph Bordogna, the merger combines programs that have the common objectives of enhancing the nation's economic well-being and industrial competitiveness through holistic paradigms to improve the quality of engineering education and research. The EEC seeks to improve quality engineering education to yield leadership-oriented graduates best equipped to compete in a global economy, and also supports university-based research centers across a spectrum of technologies essential to U.S. economic competitiveness. The Engineering Research Centers (ERC) Program addresses fundamental research issues, educates engineering students, and provides for the long-term involvement of industry in planning, research, and education. The III Division continues its research and analysis programs that affect U.S. industrial productivity. These programs aim to improve the speed and efficiency by which the results of NSF research and technology are introduced into the marketplace. Conference on Engineering Education: Curriculum Innovation and Integration The proceedings of a major conference on engineering education are now available. The conference brought together by invitation almost a hundred engineering educators and professionals from industry, academia and government. They discussed the changes underway in engineering education today, as well as needs and goals for the curriculum of tomorrow. The conference, held earlier this year in Santa Barbara, CA, was co-chaired by Dr. Win Aung, Senior Staff Associate, Division of Engineering Education and Centers, and Dr. Shlomo Carmi, Professor and Head, Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department, Drexel University. Dr. Winfred M. Phillips, Dean, College of Engineering, University of Florida, chaired the Program Advisory Committee. Included among the varied topics covered at the conference were the high technology classroom, involvement by industry, the teaching of design, faculty reward for participating in education reform, the status of critical engineering programs such as mining and mineral engineering, outreach to pre-college students, recruitment and retention, and the teaching and application of quality engineering management concepts. Dr. Joseph Bordogna, NSF Assistant Director for Engineering, speaking on the future of engineering education, urged the U.S. to take a long view and focus on the development of human resources. Universities have to change the way in which they do intellectual business, he said, noting that NSF is making serious and committed efforts to take a proactive role in economic competitiveness. The genius for integration must become valued in the university structure a goal yet to be achieved. Copies of the proceedings may be obtained by contacting the Engineering Foundation, 345 East 47th Street, New York, N.Y. 10017 (212) 705-7835, or the American Society for Engineering Education, 11 Dupont Circle, N.W., Washington, DC 20036 (202) 293-7080. Former Soviet Union Grants Prioritized The NSF gives immediate attention to requests for supplementary grants to provide infrastructural support to science and engineering colleagues in the former Soviet Union (FSU). The action, announced by NSF Director Walter E. Massey, involves supplements to existing NSF U.S.-FSU cooperative research grants and comes in response to the critical situation for FSU science and engineering. The grant requests normally should not exceed $10,000 and may include requests to provide FSU colleagues with: Scientific supplies (spare parts, reagents, instrumentation); Office equipment (personal computers for e-mail, high-quality error-correcting modems, FAX machines) and supplies (FAX paper; computer paper; printer ribbons); Subscriptions to scientific journals; and Related shipping expenses (e.g., express mail services). In view of unresolved questions about the applicability of FSU tax laws and payment of indirect costs to FSU research institutions, all transactions must be channeled through the U.S. grantees. NSF cannot approve direct transfer of any funds to the FSU and, therefore, does not foresee payment of salaries to FSU researchers. These supplements should not be used for travel expenses. U.S. universities involved in cooperative projects will be expected to work out the details for transport of materials purchased with the supplementary funds, and accountability for their use, directly with participating counterpart FSU institutions, in compliance with applicable export control laws and regulations. NSF considers these expenses to be Participant Support Costs and thus not subject to indirect cost. Supplementary grant requests should consist of a cover sheet (form 1207), a signed summary proposal budget (form 1030), and a brief justification. NSF wishes to process requests expeditiously and requests that two hard copies and an advance FAX copy be sent to the pertinent NSF grant program officer, as well as to the FSU Task Force, Division of International Programs, 1800 G Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20550; FAX (202) 653-5929; telephone (202) 653-5277; e-mail <>. Structural Control Initiative Awards NSF's cross-disciplinary Structural Control Research Initiative enters its second year in FY 93 after funding a variety of research projects. The five-year program in collaboration with the Strategic Highway Research Program of the National Research Council and three ENG Divisions Biological and Critical Systems, Mechanical and Structural Systems, and Electrical and Communications Systems seeks to develop and support research and technology innovation in structural control, as well as to establish a solid technological base for broad practical applications for civil structures and systems. During the first year of the initiative, NSF funded projects in such areas as: Safety and performance enhancement of structures; Active structural control and structural health monitoring; Active control of structures using neural networks; Hybrid seismic control using architectural cladding; Earthquake and wind response control using active members; Passive smart cementitious composites for dynamic structural control; Active tuned liquid dampers; Active control of lifeline issues for system integration and implementation; Control of occupant-induced floor motion; Control for phase-related inputs; Adaptive hybrid control techniques; and Seismic structures control for building structures using optical fiber sensors. Proposals seeking FY 93 funding should be submitted by October 31, 1992, to NSF. For additional information call Dr. S.C. Liu or Ms. Sherri Swann at (202) 357-9780 and request publication NSF 91-62. Martin-Vega to Leave for F.I.T. Dr. Louis A. Martin-Vega, a Program Director in ENG's Division of Design and Manufacturing Systems (DDM), is leaving for the Florida Institute of Technology to serve as the Lockheed Professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems. He will complete his three-year IPA (Intergovernmental Personnel Act) assignment with the NSF on October 1. Martin-Vega is credited with developing two important and well-received programs, the Engineering Faculty Internship Initiative and the Intelligent Material Handling Systems Initiative. The Faculty Initiative was designed to address a critical applied research and human resource development gap by sponsoring academic faculty to work in an industrial internship. As visualized by Martin-Vega, the initiative provides faculty in the field of manufacturing education and research with practical experience within manufacturing organizations. The Intelligent Material Handling Systems Initiative involved the integration of material handling through advanced information systems and machine intelligence. This initiative is testimony to Dr. Martin-Vega's ability to marshal experts from disparate backgrounds, said DDM Director Thom J. Hodgson. Martin-Vega, who received the Director's Award of Excellence last year, oversees DDM's programs in Production Systems and in Engineering Design. He is acknowledged to have proposed and implemented a number of effective measures to improve proposal evaluation, panel selection, and general program management. Additionally, he has established NSF contacts with several universities that have a large Hispanic faculty and student population. Before coming to NSF, he was an associate professor at the University of Florida, where he had earned a doctorate in Industrial and Systems Engineering. He also held the position as Director of the Center for Applied Research in Electronics Manufacturing at the University. Possible U.S.-China Earthquake Research Plans for future joint earthquake research between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC), are being made following a U.S./PRC Earthquake Engineering Workshop held in Guangzhou, China, April 25-27. ENG's Earthquake Hazard Mitigation Program sponsored the meeting through a grant to the National Academy of Sciences, which organized U.S. participation. The U.S. delegation consisted of eight persons and was co-chaired by Professors George Housner and Wilfred Iwan of the California Institute of Technology. The Chinese sponsors were the Ministry of Construction and the State Seismological Bureau. Preliminary findings of the workshop indicate a strong possibility of joint research in such areas as Active control of structures, of which the Chinese have several candidates, such as high TV towers and long span bridges, to offer as test beds for the innovative control technologies under development; and A comprehensive analysis of hazard mitigation, strategy, and approach by which multiple hazards will be dealt with in cities and urban centers of different population sizes, and cultural and social backgrounds. The plans for future research came under Annex III of the U.S./PRC Protocol for Scientific and Technical Cooperative Research Studies: Earthquake Engineering and Hazards Mitigation. PFF Fellows Named The White House named 15 engineers and 15 scientists as the first recipients of the Presidential Faculty Fellow (PFF) awards, given to provide recognition and support for young faculty members who demonstrate excellence and promise in research and teaching. Each award carries a grant from the NSF of $100,000 per year for five years. The engineering faculty awardees are: Morton Barlaz, North Carolina State University, for work on the anaerobic decomposition of refuse in sanitary landfills; Gary H. Bernstein, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, for work on ultrasmall electronic devices; Shira Lynn Broschat, Washington State University, for work on rough surface scattering and use of ultrasound for breast tumor detection; David E. Culler, University of California, Berkeley, for work in computer architecture; Erich Carr Everbach, Swarthmore College, for work on nonlinear dynamics of the fluid/solid interface, of microbubbles, and of strain waves propagating within a solid; Peyman Givi, State University of New York, Buffalo, for work on investigation of turbulence and its role on combustion processes; Louis J. Guido, Yale University, for work on optical and electronic properties of compound semiconductors; Chris J. Jacobsen, State University of New York, Stony Brook, for work in x-ray optics and bioengineering; Mark E. Law, University of Florida, for work in microelectronic processing systems; Mary L. Lowe, University of Maryland, for work on quantitative measurements of fluid flows in curved tubes and branched vessels at high and low Reynolds numbers; Emir J. Macari, University of Puerto Rico, for work on prediction of boundary value problems based on nonlinear elasto-plastic finite element analyses; Theodore S. Rappaport, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, for work in networking and communications research; Rebecca R. Richards-Kortum, University of Texas at Austin, for work in applications of optical spectroscopy in bioengineering; David T. Yue, Johns Hopkins University, for work in biomedical engineering; David A. Zumbrunnen, Clemson University, for work on analyses to establish relationships between processing parameters, microstructure, and mechanical properties. NSF Outreach Programs Continue Buoyed by recent successes, NSF will continue its outreach activities to Washington, D.C., area high school students. Most recently, nine Engineering Directorate engineers traveled to the Howard B. Owens Science Center in Greenbelt, MD, where they held a series of presentations. After opening remarks to all students by Dr. Joseph Bordogna, Assistant Director for Engineering, Dr. M. Christina Gabriel spoke on What Do Engineers Do? The students then interacted in smaller groups with other NSF Engineering staff who gave presentations, including: Dr. Dov Jaron, Engineering the Artificial Heart; Mr. Norman Caplan, The Robots Are Coming; Dr. Henry McGee, Laser Beams What They Can Do; Dr. Jay Lee, Technology and Mail Processing; Dr. Bruce Kramer, How Real Things Are Manufactured; Dr. Jorn Larsen-Basse, Friction; and Dr. Peter Sauer, The Joy of Engineering. Other areas of NSF are giving similar presentations in local schools to project to students that engineering and science careers are interesting and creative. Staff Update Dr. Devendra P. Garg, a professor at the School of Engineering, Duke University, has joined ENG's Division of Mechanical and Structural Systems as a Visiting Engineer and Director of the Dynamic Systems and Control Program. Garg, who has published extensively in the field of dynamic systems and control, is an ASME Fellow and holds offices or is actively involved in the U.S. Committee on International Standardization Organization, International Symposium on Man Under Vibration, IEEE International Conference on Control Applications, International Journal of Intelligent Automation, and the International Conference on Fuzzy Theory and Technology. Garg can be reached at (202) 357-9542. Dr. Sara Nerlove is a new program manager in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. Associated with various divisions of the NSF since 1980, she oversees SBIR education and human resources proposals. She holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Stanford University. Nerlove can be reached at (202) 653-5336. Dr. Krishnaswamy Srinivasan will become Program Director, Manufacturing Machines and Equipment in the Division of Design and Manufacturing Systems (DDM) on September 1. Srinivasan, who earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, will oversee the program that supports research leading to new generations of machines and equipment. He replaces Dr. Suren B. Rao who returns to Michigan. Srinivasan, who prefers to be called Cheena, can be reached at (202) 357-7676. Dr. Mahendra Pol Singh, Professor at VPI's Engineering Science and Mechanics Department, will begin a two-year appointment as a Visiting Engineer on August 15. He will serve as Program Director of Architectural and Mechanical Systems in the Earthquake Hazard Mitigation Program. Singh, who earned a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, can be reached at (202) 357-9500. Dr. Linton Salmon is the new Program Director for the Microelectromechanical subactivity, Solid State and Microstructures Program, Division of Electrical and Communications Systems (ECS). Before coming to NSF, Salmon was an Associate Professor and Head of the Integrated Microelectronics Laboratory, Brigham Young University. He earned a Ph.D. in Applied and Engineering Physics at Cornell University. He can be reached at (202) 357-9618. Dr. Arthur R. Bergen is the new Program Director for the Power Systems subactivity, Engineering Systems Program, Division of Electrical and Communications Systems (ECS). He was Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley, before coming to NSF. He can be reached at (202) 357-9618. Director's Awards to ENG Employees Four ENG employees won the Director's Awards for Excellence this year. They are Paul Herer, Senior Advisor for Planning and Technology Evaluation, Office of the Assistant Director, for Program Officer Excellence; Saundra E. Woodard, Administrative Officer and Center Manager, Division of Chemical and Thermal Systems, for Management Excellence; Hope Duckett, Administrative Officer and Center Manager, Division of Mechanical and Structural Systems, for Administrative Excellence; and Sherri Swann, Program Assistant, Division of Biological and Critical Systems, for Support Staff Excellence. III Deputy's Advice: Stick With It When Stay-in-Schooler Mr.Calvin Soard, who works in the NSF mail room, decided to delay his education, he didn't count on dealing with a verbal arm-twisting mentor. Dr. Richard T. Schoen, Deputy Director, Division of Industrial Innovation Interface (III), encouraged the youth to stick it out, persistently explaining why he had to complete his education. This Soard did, and was graduated this spring from Howard University. He then landed a senior computer manager's position in the private sector, with a salary well above that of most recent graduates. The people at III are as proud of Soard as they are of Schoen. Calendar of Events (Listed events involves ENG sponsorship or participation) Sept. 14-17 American Society of Civil Engineers Annual Meeting, New York, NY (MSS, BCS, ENG) Sept. 18-19 Advisory Meeting for the CSU & TX Tech U. Cooperative Program on Wind Engineering, Fort Collins, CO (BCS) Sept. 29-Oct. 1 Workshop on Riser Mechanics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (ECS) Oct. Neuroengineering Workshop, University of Maryland,(to be announced) College Park, MD Oct. 8-9 Forum on NSF Supported Research in Subsurface Systems, Washington, D.C. (BCS) Oct. 13-16 Visualization in Biomedical Computing at the U. North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (BCS) Oct. 14-18 1st International Conference on Fuzzy Theory & Technology, Durham, NC (MSS) Oct. 16-18 Biomedical Engineering Society at the U. of Utah, UT (BCS) Oct. 16-18 Workshop on Hierarchical Control for Real-Time Control and Scheduling of Manufacturing Systems, Meredith, OH (ECS) Oct. 17 Computational Neuroscience Symposium at Indiana U./Purdue (BCS) Oct. 22-23 Engineering Advisory Committee meeting, Washington, D.C. (ENG) Oct. 27-29 National SBIR Conference, Federal R&D Opportunities for Technology Intensive Firms, Crystal City, VA. For info. call (407) 274-4005. (III) Nov. 8-13 American Society of Mechanical Engineers Winter Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA (MSS) Nov. 17-19 National SBIR Conference, Federal R&D Opportunities for Technology Intensive Firms, Phoenix, AZ. For info. call (407) 274-4005. (III) Jan. 6-8, 1993 Annual Division of Design and Manufacturing Systems (DDM) Grantees Conference, University of N. Carolina, Charlotte, NC (DDM)