Undergraduate Student Research Competition

The Student Activities Chair of the ASME Internal Combustion Engine Division invites you to submit your undergraduate research in internal combustion engines. The top two entries will be selected to be present at the 2025 ICE Forward Conference with Rail Transportation Symposium, which will be an in-person event. The two students who led the winning entries will receive free conference registration for the conference along with paid travel and lodging expenses for the conference up to $1,500.

Consider applying if you:

• Work (or have worked) in a laboratory that does internal combustion engine research
• Worked on modeling and simulation related to engine systems or emissions systems
• Worked on fuels, fuel injection, sprays or carbon management
• Worked on the engine of a collegiate race team or your own car
• Have innovative ideas for next generation advanced engines, or alternative fuels
• Are an internal combustion engine enthusiast and would like to deliver a presentation on the subject

The winning two students will deliver their presentations to a group of leading experts in the internal combustion engine field at the ICE Forward Conference with Rail Transportation Symposium. This welcoming environment is a great opportunity for students currently involved in research that are considering pursuing a career or graduate school in the Internal Combustion Engine field. Many of the past winners have made connections during the conference which led to recruitment for career and graduate school opportunities.

For senior undergraduate students who may have already accepted a full-time position or begun graduate school by the time the conference is held, it is also a great way to be introduced directly to a large portion of the engine research community that you may be a part of for many years to come.

Additionally, as a conference attendee, you'll get to attend other researcher's presentations and network with people working in this exciting and important field. Applicants not selected as winners will be invited to present their work at a student poster session to be held during the conference.

To be considered, submit the following to the Student Presentation Chair by August 1st, 2025:

1. A two-page extended abstract summarizing the work,
2. A one-page letter of recommendation from your mentor/advisor,
3. Draft slides for a 10-minute presentation of the work,
4. (New for 2025) A recording of you giving your 10-minute presentation

To submit: Email the extended abstract and letter of recommendation to Dr. Noah Van Dam, ICE Division Student Activities Chair at Noah_VanDam@uml.edu. You will then receive a unique link to submit your slides and presentation recording.

The abstract and letter of recommendation should be submitted as PDFs, not Word or other formats. The letter of recommendation must be from a professor or mentor working closely with the student and must clearly identify the student's role in the work.

The presentation recording will only be used as part of the competition judging process. The winners will give their presentations live during the ICE Forward Conference.

Scoring Criteria: A selection committee will choose the top two presentations according to an established review process. In that process, submissions will be scored according to the following metrics:

1. technical strength
2. research novelty
3. quality of project execution
4. degree of independent work
5. presentation quality.

You must be an ASME student member (with active membership) and have been an undergraduate student on the date of submission to be selected. Students graduating before the conference may still submit as long as the work was completed prior to graduation. Presentation material must all be original; The work can be related to material contained in a technical paper submitted to the ASME ICE Forward 2025 Conference but should go beyond what is in the paper.

Send your work by August 1st to:
Dr. Noah Van Dam
Student Activities Chair
Email: Noah_VanDam@uml.edu

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2024 Winners