NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009

2009 财年 NSF 少数族裔博士后研究奖学金

• 批准号: 0905948
• 负责人: Elisa Maldonado
• 金额: $ 18.9万
• 依托单位: Maldonado Elisa M
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0905948&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Minority; Postdoctoral; Research; Fellowship

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009 and is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Elisa Maldonado is "Investigating the factors that promote bacterial adhesion using engineered surfaces that mimic echinoderm skin." This research will be conducted at Harvard University under the sponsorship of Dr. Joanna Aizenberg.Bacterial biofilms - thin layers of living cells that coat surfaces - are everywhere in the environment. The initial attachment of bacteria to a surface is a critical stage in biofilm development. However, many organisms such as starfish have surfaces that naturally prevent biofouling. It remains unclear which of the chemical, physical, or mechanical properties of a surface is critical in promoting or preventing bacterial adhesion. It may be that a combination of factors is responsible for the robustness and emergent properties of biofilms. This project is using engineering technology (e.g., novel biomimetic, nanostructured surfaces) that mimic echinoderm skin and present multiple stimuli to determine the interaction of electrical, chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of a surface on bacterial adhesion. This research will simultaneously add to an understanding of the evolution of multicellularity and have applications to the prevention of biofouling. An expected outcome is the development of materials that prevent biofilm formation, applicable to several industries including health, food, and shipping. Training plans include theoretical and technical training in materials science, nanotechnology, and microbiology. This fellowship increases the participation of underrepresented groups at the postdoctoral and undergraduate level.

该行动资助 2009 财年 NSF 少数族裔博士后研究奖学金，并根据 2009 年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法 111-5）提供资助。该奖学金支持研究员在主办实验室的研究和培训计划，该研究员还提出了扩大生物学参与的计划。 Elisa Maldonado 的研究和培训计划的标题是“利用模仿棘皮动物皮肤的工程表面来研究促进细菌粘附的因素”。这项研究将在乔安娜·艾森伯格 (Joanna Aizenberg) 博士的赞助下在哈佛大学进行。细菌生物膜（覆盖表面的活细胞薄层）在环境中无处不在。细菌最初附着在表面上是生物膜形成的关键阶段。然而，许多生物体（例如海星）的表面可以自然防止生物污垢。目前尚不清楚表面的化学、物理或机械特性中的哪一个对于促进或防止细菌粘附至关重要。生物膜的稳健性和新兴特性可能是多种因素共同作用的。该项目使用工程技术（例如新型仿生、纳米结构表面）模仿棘皮动物皮肤并提供多种刺激，以确定表面的电、化学、物理和机械特性对细菌粘附的相互作用。这项研究将同时增进对多细胞进化的理解，并应用于预防生物污垢。预期成果是开发出可防止生物膜形成的材料，适用于健康、食品和运输等多个行业。培训计划包括材料科学、纳米技术和微生物学方面的理论和技术培训。该奖学金增加了博士后和本科生中代表性不足的群体的参与。