SBIR Phase I: Prototyping a Laboratory Kit to Assist Undergraduate Instructors in Teaching Self-Assembly

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于激励跨学科创新，以实现更高效，更智能和更安全的技术。 这些好处将通过赋予下一代劳动力知识来实现，这种知识正在彻底改变现代创新生态系统。 这种奇迹被称为“自组装”，被自然界用来构建从蛋白质复合物到生物体的结构。 研究人员正在利用这种自然现象来推动科学进步，包括具有更高计算能力的纳米线和具有更大治疗潜力的药物，这表明自组装具有在多个学科中播种颠覆性技术的潜力。 为了释放这种现象的全部创新潜力，必须以一种引人入胜和富有洞察力的方式向下一代科学家和工程师教授自组装。 本SBIR第一阶段项目旨在将自组装纳入本科科学课程的教学课程。 通过教育学生了解自组装的复杂性和应用，该项目将激发未来的突破，并产生复合的社会和商业效益。 该项目的目的是建立一个以消费者为中心的最小可行产品（MVP）的原型，以帮助本科教师教授新兴的自组装现象。 到目前为止，这种产品的缺乏可能是由于技术障碍，挑战了以跨学科但直接的方式展示自组装的能力。 研究目标包括概念验证实验和迭代产品构建，以设计一个原型，有效地迎合本科教师和他们的教学实践。 具体而言，目标是：1.设计组件，展示跨多个尺度和学科的自组装。2.创建有效传播自组装及其应用知识的教育内容。3.现场测试和优化原型以响应最终用户体验。由此产生的MVP将提供材料和说明，以具有成本效益和易于部署的方式进行各种自组装演示。 该产品将是第一个以这种方式解决自组装问题的教育工具。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project resides in motivating cross-disciplinary innovations for more efficient, smarter, and safer technologies. These benefits will be realized by empowering the next generation workforce with knowledge of a phenomenon that is revolutionizing the modern day innovation ecosystem. This marvel is called "self-assembly", and is used by nature to build structures ranging from protein complexes to living organisms. Researchers are harnessing this natural phenomenon to drive scientific advancements including nanowires with increased computing power and pharmaceuticals with greater therapeutic potential, demonstrating that self-assembly holds the potential to seed disruptive technologies across multiple disciplines. To unlock the full innovative potential of this phenomenon, self-assembly must be taught to the upcoming generation of scientists and engineers in an engaging and insightful manner. This SBIR Phase I project aims to integrate self-assembly into the teaching curriculum of undergraduate science courses. By educating students about the intricacies and applications of self-assembly, this project will inspire future breakthroughs and accrue compounding societal and commercial benefits. The proposed project aims to prototype a consumer-focused minimum viable product (MVP) that assists undergraduate instructors in teaching the emerging phenomenon of selfassembly. The absence of such a product to date is likely attributable to the technical hurdles that challenge the ability to demonstrate self-assembly in a cross-disciplinary yet straightforward manner. The research objectives incorporate proof-of-concept experimentation and reiterative product builds to design a prototype that efficiently caters to undergraduate instructors and their teaching practices. More specifically, the objectives are to: 1. Design components that demonstrate self-assembly across multiple scales and disciplines. 2. Create educational content that effectively disseminates knowledge of self-assembly and its applications. 3. Field-test and optimize the prototype in response to end user experiences. The resulting MVP will provide materials and instructions to conduct various self-assembly demonstrations in a cost-effective and readily deployable manner. The product would be the first educational tool to address self-assembly in this manner.