- See the list of previous NAMF Student Award recipients here >>
- Download Guidelines in PDF>>
Objective
The NAMF Student Award Competition, sponsored by SPX FLOW Mixing Solutions, was established to encourage, recognize, and reward students for quality research in the area of mixing.
Eligibility
Any graduate or undergraduate student conducting research in the field of Fluid Mixing at an accredited University in North America is eligible.
A previous winner of this award may compete again with normal eligibility for travel expenses and conference registration fees if selected as a finalist.
Students who submit abstracts in response to the abstract request for the NAMF Biennial Conference are eligible to participate. Even if the abstract is not selected as a finalist for the Student Award, it may still be selected by the NAMF Conference Committee for presentation at the conference.
Work that has been previously published in a refereed journal may be used as a basis for the paper submitted for the competition.
A Student who graduates in the year prior to the NAMF conference can enter the Student Award competition. For example, a student graduating in 2023 may enter the competition being adjudicated at the MIXING XXVIII and ISMIP 11 Conference in 2024.
Procedure
Format
The applicant must submit a paper as for a journal publication in electronic form, describing their work in an area of mixing.
Applicants should use the Instructions given for submitting research articles to the AIChE Journal as guidance on the format, length, requirement for figures, etc. Note that the paper submitted should not exceed 35 pages.
In general, the body of the paper should contain:
- Introduction
- Theory and Model Development
- Experimental Set-up/Procedures
- Results and Discussions
- Conclusions/Recommendations
- References.
Relevant video files of experiments and / or CFD animations may be included as references in the paper.
Replication of thesis chapters will lead to disqualification.
Submission
The applicant must submit the paper as a PDF by Email to the Co-Chairs of the Education Committee (henceforth called the Chairs). They are:
- Sujit Bhattacharya: sujbhattacha@suncor.com
- Richard Grenville: richard.grenville@spxflow.com
The submission deadline is the second Friday in February in the given NAMF conference year (i.e., February 9 for the Conference in June 2024).
When you submit your paper by email, please also include the following information in the message body:
- Full name
- Address
- Email address
- University, Faculty, Department
- Student status (undergraduate sophomore, junior, senior or graduate, postgraduate master, doctoral candidate)
- Advisor
- Pre-Application Agreement: If I am selected as a finalist in the Student Paper Competition, I agree to actively participate in the conference sessions, and to (please elaborate). . .
- Mixing Presentation Title
- Mixing Presentation Abstract (300-600 words)
Marking Scheme
Papers submitted by the candidates will be marked on the basis of the following four criteria. The weighting for each criterion is shown below in brackets:
- Theory and Fundamentals (30%)
- Clarity of analysis and writing (30%)
- Industrial potential (20%)
- Novelty of work (20%)
The presentations of the three finalists will be marked on the basis of:
- Quality of presentation
- Ability of the candidate to explain concepts
- Quality of answers provided to audience questions at the end of the presentation
25% weighting will be given to the marks obtained in the corresponding paper.
The Process of Competition
The submitted papers will be marked by a Committee of Judges consisting of industrial researchers working in the area of mixing. The Committee will normally consist of five or more judges and the Chairs. A list of potential Committee members is maintained by the Chairs.
Judges will be invited by the Chairs at least a month before the deadline for submission as outlined in the NAMF website. In case the number of submissions is more than five, not all judges will mark every paper. The Chairs will select and send up to five papers to each judge.
However, at least two judges and the Chairs will mark all submitted papers. Marking procedure details are in the ‘Marking Scheme’ section of this document.
On completion of marking, the Chairs will compile a list of marks and call a meeting of the Committee. After discussing the merits of each candidate, the Committee will decide upon the final marks and select, by consensus, three candidates with the highest marks as the finalists. It is the responsibility of the Chairs to send timely emails inviting the three finalists to present their papers at the biennial NAMF Conference. The awards to the finalists will be discussed in the section on ‘Awards’. The Chairs will also give the Organizers of the biennial NAMF Conference the names of the finalists and the titles of their papers by May 1. The Organizers will assist the finalists with documentation when applying for a Visa, if required.
The Committee will also select the candidates with the fourth and the fifth highest marks as Runners-Up. These candidates may qualify to present posters during the biennial NAMF Conference. The remunerations of these candidates are discussed in the section on ‘Awards’ below.
In case less than three papers are submitted for the competition, the Chairs and select members of the Education Committee can decide at their discretion to invite all or none of the candidates to present their papers during the Conference.
During the Conference, the Presentations of the finalists are marked by another Committee consisting of at least five judges, including the Chairs and others they select. At least three judges, apart from the Chairs, will consist of persons who have already marked the papers.
The Chairs will consult with the judges, to identify the candidate with the highest marks, per the Marking Scheme.
Awards
Awards will be given to the winner of the competition, the candidates with the second and third highest marks, and potentially two additional runners-up as follows:
Awards for the Winner (1):
- Travel to and from the conference
- Conference registration fees*
- $1000 cash award
- Plaque
Second and Third places (2):
- Travel to and from the conference
- Conference registration fees*
- $500 cash award
Runners Up (2):
- Conference registration fees*
- Slot in the Conference Poster Sessions
All finalists also receive a copy of Advances in Industrial Mixing.
* Registration includes shared accommodations and all meals.
