Advancing AI for Manufacturing through Public Private Partnerships

GENERAL

4:05 PM – 4:20 PM

Room 220-230-240

SPEAKER

Robert W. Ivester, PhD

Senior Advisor on Advanced Manufacturing, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Use with AI

Copy this session's complete context to paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI assistant.

Preview context block

## Session: Advancing AI for Manufacturing through Public Private Partnerships
**Track:** General | **Time:** 4:05 PM–4:20 PM | **Room:** 220-230-240 | **Type:** Expert Talk
**Conference:** CIRAS AI Summit for Iowa — May 6, 2026, Scheman Building, Iowa State University, Ames IA

### Speaker(s)

**Robert W. Ivester** — Senior Advisor on Advanced Manufacturing, National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, Maryland)
Robert W. Ivester, PhD currently serves as the senior advisor on advanced manufacturing at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Previously, Ivester served as the Deputy Director of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program. The MEP National Network focuses its expertise and knowledge as well as that of its partners — industry, educational institutions, state governments, NIST and other federal research laboratories and agencies — on providing U.S. manufacturers with information and tools they need to improve productivity, assure consistent quality, accelerate the transfer of manufacturing technology and infuse innovation into production processes and new products.

Ivester served at the Department of Energy for seven years, most recently as director of the Federal Energy Management Program in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. FEMP oversees the implementation of policy and actions that result in energy efficiency implementation, renewable energy adoption, and reduction in energy and water use in federal government operations. He also served in the Advanced Manufacturing Office for six years. During that time, AMO launched five Manufacturing USA Institutes, the Critical Materials Hub, and hundreds of small R&D and technical assistance projects across the nation. Ivester also worked at NIST for over 16 years, leading and performing research in advanced manufacturing.

He has been an instructor for the Johns Hopkins University Engineering for Professionals program for graduate-level studies in manufacturing engineering since 2001. Ivester is a fellow of SME and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

He received his doctorate in engineering, master's degree in manufacturing engineering and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

### Session Description

This presentation will explore the roles of government laboratory research and extramural programs to support transition of technology to industrial practice.  In particular, the overlay between government laboratory research and extramural programs has been increasing, and is particularly vital for the interconnections between research in AI and research in manufacturing. NIST plans to launch a new Manufacturing USA institute on AI for Resilient Manufacturing, and looks forward to broader engagement with community stakeholders for AI and manufacturing.

### Suggested prompts for this session

- "What questions should I prepare to ask the speaker(s) at this session?"
- "Create a structured note-taking template for this session focused on actionable takeaways"
- "Based on this session description, what background reading should I do to get the most value?"
- "After I attend, help me create an action plan for implementing what I learned"
- "How does this session connect to the other sessions in the General track?"

## Session: Advancing AI for Manufacturing through Public Private Partnerships
**Track:** General | **Time:** 4:05 PM–4:20 PM | **Room:** 220-230-240 | **Type:** Expert Talk
**Conference:** CIRAS AI Summit for Iowa — May 6, 2026, Scheman Building, Iowa State University, Ames IA

### Speaker(s)

**Robert W. Ivester** — Senior Advisor on Advanced Manufacturing, National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, Maryland)
Robert W. Ivester, PhD currently serves as the senior advisor on advanced manufacturing at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Previously, Ivester served as the Deputy Director of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program. The MEP National Network focuses its expertise and knowledge as well as that of its partners — industry, educational institutions, state governments, NIST and other federal research laboratories and agencies — on providing U.S. manufacturers with information and tools they need to improve productivity, assure consistent quality, accelerate the transfer of manufacturing technology and infuse innovation into production processes and new products.

Ivester served at the Department of Energy for seven years, most recently as director of the Federal Energy Management Program in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. FEMP oversees the implementation of policy and actions that result in energy efficiency implementation, renewable energy adoption, and reduction in energy and water use in federal government operations. He also served in the Advanced Manufacturing Office for six years. During that time, AMO launched five Manufacturing USA Institutes, the Critical Materials Hub, and hundreds of small R&amp;D and technical assistance projects across the nation. Ivester also worked at NIST for over 16 years, leading and performing research in advanced manufacturing.

He has been an instructor for the Johns Hopkins University Engineering for Professionals program for graduate-level studies in manufacturing engineering since 2001. Ivester is a fellow of SME and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

He received his doctorate in engineering, master's degree in manufacturing engineering and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

### Session Description

This presentation will explore the roles of government laboratory research and extramural programs to support transition of technology to industrial practice.  In particular, the overlay between government laboratory research and extramural programs has been increasing, and is particularly vital for the interconnections between research in AI and research in manufacturing. NIST plans to launch a new Manufacturing USA institute on AI for Resilient Manufacturing, and looks forward to broader engagement with community stakeholders for AI and manufacturing.

### Suggested prompts for this session

- "What questions should I prepare to ask the speaker(s) at this session?"
- "Create a structured note-taking template for this session focused on actionable takeaways"
- "Based on this session description, what background reading should I do to get the most value?"
- "After I attend, help me create an action plan for implementing what I learned"
- "How does this session connect to the other sessions in the General track?"

Verify your attendee email to copy AI context for this session.

Verify Email

TRACK General

FORMAT Expert Talk

ROOM 220-230-240

This presentation will explore the roles of government laboratory research and extramural programs to support transition of technology to industrial practice. In particular, the overlay between government laboratory research and extramural programs has been increasing, and is particularly vital for the interconnections between research in AI and research in manufacturing. NIST plans to launch a new Manufacturing USA institute on AI for Resilient Manufacturing, and looks forward to broader engagement with community stakeholders for AI and manufacturing.

Key Takeaways

1. Government laboratory research has been shifting emphasis from nearly exclusively basic or early-stage research to including more applied research.
2. Public private partnerships for applied research have increasingly focused on delivering new and emerging technology capabilities to manufacturers.
3. Rapid changes in AI capabilities present a continuous stream of new opportunities for application in manufacturing, but the rapid pace of change also creates significant concerns that the pace of change is faster than the ability to adopt

Transcript will be available after the summit on May 6, 2026.

Advancing AI for Manufacturing through Public Private Partnerships

Key Takeaways

CIRAS AI Summit

Quick Links

Contact