Innovative and Strategic Program Initiatives for Research and Education-North Dakota (INSPIRE-ND)

北达科他州研究和教育创新和战略计划计划（INSPIRE-ND）将通过区域气候和可持续材料科学的前沿研究，为北达科他州的农业、能源和先进制造业经济做出贡献。该项目将为这些行业建立科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）劳动力并使其多样化，增强科学计算基础设施，并促进创新和研究。该研究由区域气候研究中心（CRCS）和可持续材料科学中心（csm）组织，将研究农业生产力和对气候变化的适应，并开发创新的植物材料聚合物和复合材料以及相关技术，以造福社会。INSPIRE-ND是北达科他州立大学、北达科他州大学和五所部落学院与主要本科院校、社区学院以及州农业和制造业合作伙伴合作的伙伴关系。技术描述研究目标是雄心勃勃的和潜在的变革。CRCS将研究区域气候、水文过程、作物生产和自主农民适应之间的联系。预期成果包括提高对极端干湿事件以及农业生产和适应气候变化的认识。CSMS将通过设计和制备生物基聚合物和热固性材料，创造出可以通过光触发降解的新型材料。新型生物基材料的研究将从基础聚合物研究到商业化和生命周期评估。该项目利用最先进的研究方法来解决地区、国家和全球重要问题。对劳动力发展、STEM教育和多样性的投资将通过新兴的劳动力发展、推广、教育和多样性项目（ND）进行协调，该项目将包括对学生、博士后和教师的指导、本科生研究经验（REU）、研究生助教项目和私营企业实习。以及新的美国原住民科学与工程成功计划（NASSE），以及对非常成功的自然项目（现在的自然+）的扩展，该项目通过周日学院和夏令营吸引美国原住民学生。

Non-technical DescriptionINnovative and Strategic Program Initiatives for Research and Education-North Dakota (INSPIRE-ND) will contribute to the agriculture, energy, and advanced manufacturing economies in North Dakota through forefront research in regional climate and sustainable materials sciences. The project will build and diversify the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce for these industries, enhance scientific computing infrastructure, and promote innovation and research. The research, organized through the Center for Regional Climate Studies (CRCS) and the Center for Sustainable Materials Science (CSMS), will address agricultural productivity and adaptation to climate variations and develop innovative plant materials based polymers and composites and associated technologies for the benefit of society. INSPIRE-ND is a partnership between North Dakota State University, the University of North Dakota, and the five Tribal Colleges in collaboration with Primarily Undergraduate Institutions, Community Colleges, and state agriculture and manufacturing partners.Technical DescriptionThe research goals are ambitious and potentially transformative. CRCS will study linkages between regional climate, hydrologic processes, crop production, and autonomous farmer adaptions. Expected outcomes include improved understanding of extreme wet and dry events and agricultural production and adaption in response to climate changes. CSMS will create novel materials that can be programmed to degrade with photo-triggers by designing and preparing bio-based polymers and thermosets. The work on novel bio-based materials will span from fundamental polymer research to commercialization and life cycle assessment. The project utilizes state of the art research approaches to address problems of regional, national, and global importance.Investments in workforce development, STEM education, and diversity will be coordinated through EMerging PrOgrams for WorkforcE Development, OutReach, Education, and Diversity - ND (EMPOWERED-ND) - which will include mentoring for students, postdocs and faculty, Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), Graduate Assistantship Programs, and private industry internships, as well as the new Native American Success in Science and Engineering (NASSE) initiative and an expansion of the highly successful NATURE program (now NATURE+), which engages Native American students via Sunday Academies and Summer Camps.