HBCU-RISE: Enhancement of Research Infrastructure for Advanced Functional Materials for Biotechnology Applications

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The Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering (HBCU-RISE) program supports the development of research capability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities that offer doctoral degrees in science and engineering disciplines. Supported projects have a unifying research focus in one of the research areas supported by the National Science Foundation, a direct connection to the long-term plans of the host department, institutional strategic plan and mission, and plans for expanding institutional research capacity, as well as increasing the production of doctoral students, especially those underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. With National Science Foundation support, Tennessee State University will conduct a project entitled "Enhancement of Research Infrastructure for Advanced Functional Materials for Biotechnology Applications". The vision of this project is to position Tennessee State University as a leader in the multidisciplinary field of advanced functional materials for biotechnology applications.Advanced materials fabricated from natural products have the potential for providing novel solutions pertaining to biocompatibility, biodegradability, and environmental issues, such as food protection, time-controlled release drugs, targeted pesticide delivery, bio-inspired soil improvements, and self-sealing structures. Further, with the combination of traditional synthetic polymers, such as ferroelectric and biodegradable polymers, new and unique functional materials by design can be realized for sensory and device development. The research component of this project consists of five multidisciplinary thrusts: (a) fabrication and characterization of the functionality of electrospun single polymer fibers and assembled 2D and 3D meso-structures; (b) development of piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride nanomaterial-based acoustic mass sensing devices; (c) enhancement of functional materials using natural polymer based electrospraying; (d) production of polyhydroxybutyrate polymers from agricultural byproducts; and (e) development of bio-inspired smart infrastructure materials.This project leverages existing resources to provide new pathways for Tennessee State University students to participate in high impact research. The project will broaden the scope of existing doctoral programs, making them accessible to students from a wider range of disciplines, and transform the program into a more comprehensive multidisciplinary research program that will prepare students for an increasingly competitive domestic and international research environment.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.