Call For Papers: U.S. Universities Invited To Bring Students And Faculty To Italy To Take Part In The Italian Technology Award Programs

SME is proud to once again partner with the Italian Trade Agency to issue a call for papers for the 2018 Italian Technology Awards!

Paper Submissions are Due: Sept. 21, 2018

Winners of the Italian Technology Awards, per each of the three award programs, who are selected as having the best submissions, will be awarded a ONE-week trip to Italy with activities scheduled Nov. 4-11. Students and selected faculty will visit top Italian companies in the industries involved per each program, take part in an advanced educational program at the Università Carlo Cattaneo – LIUC along with a number of cultural activities in various Italian cities. 

The Italian Technology Award Program is comprised of a competition asking upper-level students attending premier U.S. universities to submit a paper on the relative innovation taking place in mechanical engineering related industries and the issues they face. The aim of the program is to enrich the engineering education of students and to advance knowledge on issues of importance within the three industries of metalworking, glassworking and packaging, to the next generation of engineering professionals.
 
The U.S. trip is part of the international program Italian Technology Awards for the following three programs:

Italian Machine Tool Technology Award Program

Submission Criteria: Junior, senior and postgraduate students at U.S. universities who are involved in programs related to the disciplines surrounding mechanical engineering, may submit a paper based on actual case histories, projects, etc.  may be accepted as long as they have an element(s) regarding one or more of the following suggested topics (current academic papers related to any of the following submission criteria may be submitted as well):

• Materials for manufacturing
• Additive manufacturing, including 3D printing
• Mechatronics and robotics
• Manufacturing system, technology, process or business model
• Machining (traditional and nontraditional processes)
• Nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing
• Digital manufacturing

Paper Requirements: Submitted papers would ideally be between 10-12 pages in length, typed and double-spaced; however, paper length considerations can be given due to time constraints. Attachments such as footnotes, images, photocopied materials, source citations, statistics, etc., are allowed. Papers should be submitted in electronic format by Friday, Sept. 21 to SME at membership@sme.org or to the Italian Trade Agency Chicago at chicago@ice.it indicating “Italian Machine Tool Technology Award Paper Submission” in the subject box, and individual’s full contact information for eventual follow-up as needed.
 
Italian Packaging Technology Award Program

Submission Criteria: Junior, senior and postgraduate students at U.S. universities who are involved in programs related to the disciplines surrounding packaging engineering, may submit a paper based on actual case histories, and must be developed according to one and/or both of the following topics (current academic papers related to the following submission criteria may be submitted as well.):  

• New technologies for quality control (detecting defects, errors, etc.) in the packaging process and in packaging
• Alternative ideas in the design of machinery for packaging optimization

Paper Requirements: Submitted papers would ideally be between 10-12 pages in length, typed and double-spaced; however, paper length considerations can be given due to time constraints. Current academic papers related to any of the aforementioned submission criteria may be submitted as well. Attachments such as footnotes, images, photocopied materials, source citations, statistics, etc., are allowed. Papers should be submitted in electronic format by Friday, Sept. 21 to SME at membership@sme.org or the Italian Trade Agency Chicago at chicago@ice.it indicating “Italian Machine Tool Technology Award Paper Submission” in the subject box, and individual’s full contact information for eventual follow-up as needed.
 
Italian Glassworking Machinery Technology Award Program

Submission Criteria and Paper Requirements: Junior, senior and postgraduate students at U.S. universities who are involved in programs related to the disciplines surrounding mechanical engineering, may submit a paper based on actual case histories, projects, etc. may be accepted as long as they have an element(s) regarding one or more of the following suggested topics (current academic papers related to any of the following submission criteria may be submitted as well):

• Machinery for flat glass manufacturing (building, automotive, furniture, energy, etc.)
• Machinery for hollow glass manufacturing (pharmaceutical, tableware, containers, cosmetics)

Paper Requirements: Submitted papers would ideally be between 2-3 pages in length, typed and double-spaced; however, paper length considerations can be given due to time constraints. Attachments such as footnotes, images, photocopied materials, source citations, statistics, etc. are allowed.

Papers should be submitted in electronic format by Friday, Sept. 21 to SME at membership@sme.org or to the Italian Trade Agency Chicago at chicago@ice.it indicating “Italian Machine Tool Technology Award Paper Submission” in the subject box, and individual’s full contact information for eventual follow-up as needed.

Faculties may decide to integrate this contest into current academic courses, allowing selected students accreditation for their work.

Number of Winners for Machine Tool Program: The ITA will select up to four U.S. student winners from the papers submitted and as budget allows, will have one U.S. faculty professor accompany the student group.

Number of Winners for Packaging Technology Program: The ITA will select up to two U.S. student winners from the papers submitted and as budget allows, will have one U.S. faculty professor accompany the student group.

Number of Winners for Glass Machinery Program: The ITA will select up to two U.S. student winners from the papers submitted and as budget allows, will have one U.S. faculty professor accompany the student group.

Eligibility Requirements for US Students and Faculty — If Not U.S. Citizens: Students and faculty, if not U.S. citizens with passports, must have already the necessary travel documents and visa eligibility to go to Italy and must be proficient in the English Language if not mother-tongue.

Sponsors
The ITA is sponsored by the Italian Trade Agency, via its Chicago Office, UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE (Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machine Tools, Robots, Automation Systems and Ancillary Products – ucimu.it), GIMAV (Italian Association of Glass-Processing Machinery and Accessory Suppliers – gimav.it) and UCIMA (Association of Italian Packaging Machinery Manufacturers – ucima.it) and SME (sme.org).