RII-Track 1: New Hampshire Center for Multiscale Modeling and Manufacturing of Biomaterials (NH Bio-Made)

非技术描述新汉普郡生物材料多尺度建模和制造中心(NH Bio-Made)承诺创造新知识，推动技术创新，并在生物技术和先进制造领域培训劳动力。该项目的活动围绕一种集成的设计方法进行组织，该方法将计算建模、先进制造和材料性能测量连接在一起，所有这些都面向开发用于生物医学应用的新材料，如整形外科轴承和组织工程支架。这种综合方法旨在鼓励各学科之间的密切合作，以推动生物材料的开发。该项目还将包括对新汉普郡研究能力的重大投资。NH Bio-Made将建立一个共享的生物材料核心设施，为全州的研究人员提供使用最先进的仪器和网络基础设施的机会，并将支持在全州各地的机构雇用11名新的教职研究人员。该项目的研究活动将与雄心勃勃的劳动力发展议程相结合，旨在为不同的学生提供使他们能够取得职业成功所需的特定生物材料和制造技能。NH Bio-Made的目标是推进分层、异质生物材料的设计和制造，并使知识能够预测和控制它们的组成、结构、性能和功能。为了实现这一点，该项目将开发跨越材料空间尺度从原子到宏观尺度的计算工具。它将自下而上的自组装与自上而下的3D打印相结合，创造出具有纳米级设计结构的生物材料。这些活动将采用系统级别的方法，推动针对高度具体和可验证的功能的分层、不同种类的生物材料设计。研究活动将被组织成四个主要项目，每个项目都致力于开发特定类别的生物材料：1)用于整形外科轴承的复合材料；2)用于创伤固定的金属板；3)组织工程支架；以及4)多孔性、导电性生物传感器。这些努力将得到生物材料核心设施的支持，该设施将为全州的研究人员提供高性能计算基础设施、先进制造设备和材料表征仪器的共享访问。人们的期望是，NH Bio-Made将促进对新技术的理解，促进先进材料的设计和制造，同时加快国家在不断增长和重要的生物技术行业的竞争力。为了确保从这些研究和基础设施投资中获得广泛的好处，该项目还将为准备进入生物材料和先进制造业劳动力的学生提供培训。这些努力将包括为进入劳动力大军的高中和社区大学学生提供基于工作的学习机会，以及为选择继续教育的学生促进过渡的计划。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-technical DescriptionThe New Hampshire Center for Multiscale Modeling and Manufacturing of Biomaterials (NH Bio-Made) promises to create new knowledge and drive technological innovation, and train workforce in the areas of biotechnology and advanced manufacturing. The project's activities are organized around an integrated design approach that connects computational modeling, advanced manufacturing, and measurement of materials properties, all oriented toward developing new materials for biomedical applications such as orthopedic bearings and tissue engineering scaffolds. The integrated approach is intended to encourage close collaboration across disciplines to drive biomaterials development. The project will also include major investments in New Hampshire's research capacity. NH Bio-Made will establish a shared Biomaterials Core Facility to provide access to state-of the-art instrumentation and cyberinfrastructure for researchers statewide, and will support the hiring of eleven new faculty researchers at institutions across the state. The project's research activities will be integrated with an ambitious workforce development agenda aimed at providing diverse students with the specific biomaterials and manufacturing skills needed to enable their career success. These efforts will emphasize training for students in high schools, community colleges, and at institutions of higher learning in NH and will be directed toward careers in the biotechnology sector.Technical DescriptionNH Bio-Made's goal is to advance the design and manufacture of hierarchical, heterogeneous biomaterials and enable the knowledge to predict and control their composition, structure, properties, and function. To accomplish this, the project will develop computational tools that span materials spatial scales from atomic to the macroscale. It will combine bottom-up self-assembly with top-down 3D printing to create biomaterials with designed structure at the nanoscale. These activities will employ a systems-level approach that drives hierarchical, heterogeneous biomaterial design for highly specific and verifiable functionalities. Research activities will be organized into four major thrusts, each working towards the development of specific categories of biomaterials: 1) composites for orthopedic bearings; 2) sheet metal for trauma fixation; 3) tissue engineering scaffolds; and 4) porous, conductive biosensors. These efforts will be supported by the Biomaterials Core Facility that will provide researchers across the state with shared access to high-performance computing infrastructure, advanced manufacturing equipment, and materials characterization instrumentation. The expectation is that the NH Bio-Made will advance understanding of new the design and manufacture of advanced materials while accelerating the state's competitiveness in the growing and important biotechnology industry. To ensure broad benefits from these research and infrastructure investments, the project will also provide training for students preparing to enter the biomaterials and advanced manufacturing workforce. These efforts will include both work-based learning opportunities for high school and community college students moving into the workforce and programs to facilitate the transition for students choosing to continue their education.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.