Participant Support for Student and Early Career Professional Participation in the In Vivo Ultrasound Imaging GRC; Waterville Valley, New Hampshire; 15-21 August 2026

This grant fosters excellence and promotes student and early-career professional engagement in the fields of Ultrasound, Acoustics, and Dynamics by supporting participation in the 2026 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on In Vivo Ultrasound Imaging to be held 15-21 August 2026 in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. GRC on In Vivo Ultrasound Imaging is a leading technical conference covering a wide spectrum of experimental, analytical, and computational research in dynamics, acoustics, and ultrasound. Key topics include the advent of ultrafast imaging, super-resolution imaging, photoacoustic imaging, artificial intelligence (AI) in imaging, molecular imaging, novel contrast imaging, shear wave imaging, whole body imaging with tomography, and quantitative ultrasound techniques. The conference fosters the exchange of ideas and information as well as deeper discussion about the future and direction of in vivo ultrasound imaging among engineers and researchers within the dynamics, acoustics, and ultrasound communities, spanning from senior to new and young investigators. The primary objective of this grant is to increase participation and strengthen the academic and professional development of early career professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars through targeted young professional- and student-focused activities at the 2026 GRC on In Vivo Ultrasound Imaging. This objective will be achieved through four complementary activities. First, the organizers will ensure that at least two discussion topics/questions are from early career professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars in each discussion session, enforced by the discussion leaders. Second, travel support for students, postdoctoral scholars, and early career professionals will reduce financial barriers to participation and enable young researchers to engage with peers and senior experts, fostering a vibrant and inclusive research community. Third, besides the already established poster sessions, the 2026 GRC will be accompanied by a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), which will be an excellent opportunity for trainees to showcase their research. In addition, the GRS specifically contains a mentorship session with a panel discussion that enables trainees to share their experiences, ask questions, challenge current mechanisms, and discuss new approaches. Through these activities, the grant strengthens technical preparation, promotes scholarly excellence, and enhances professional networking opportunities for early-career participants. Expanding access to the 2026 GRC is expected to support long-term integration of trainees and early-career professionals into the dynamics, acoustics, and ultrasound community and contribute to the development of a technically skilled and competent future workforce. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2612606 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Chengzhi Shi | Institution: Gordon Research Conferences, EAST GREENWICH, RI | Award Amount: $15,000 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2612606 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2612606.html