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.

本行动根据2009年美国复苏与再投资法案（公法111-5）资助国家科学基金会2009年度少数民族博士后研究奖学金。该奖学金支持奖学金获得者在主办实验室的研究和培训计划，该奖学金获得者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“利用模拟棘皮动物皮肤的工程表面研究促进细菌粘附的因素”。这项研究将在哈佛大学进行，由Joanna Aizenberg博士赞助。细菌生物膜——覆盖在表面的一层薄薄的活细胞——在环境中无处不在。细菌附着于表面的初始阶段是生物膜发育的关键阶段。然而，许多生物，如海星，其表面可以自然地防止生物污染。目前尚不清楚表面的化学、物理或机械特性中哪一种对促进或防止细菌粘附至关重要。生物膜的坚固性和涌现性可能是多种因素共同作用的结果。该项目使用工程技术（例如，新型仿生、纳米结构表面）来模拟棘皮动物的皮肤，并提供多种刺激来确定细菌粘附表面的电、化学、物理和机械特性的相互作用。这项研究将同时增加对多细胞生物进化的理解，并应用于预防生物污染。预期的结果是开发出防止生物膜形成的材料，适用于健康、食品和航运等多个行业。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水平的代表性不足群体的参与。