US-Africa Forum on Nanotechnology Convergence for Sustainable Energy, Water and Environment

NSF已将融合研究和教育确定为未来投资的“十大创意”之一。本次研讨会的首要目标是通过首届“美非纳米技术融合可持续能源、水和环境论坛”，为来自美国和撒哈拉以南非洲（SSA）的研究人员（包括研究生、博士后和教师）提供一个讨论和合作的平台，从而促进美国的融合研究和教育。南非大学（UNISA）将作为论坛的东道主。拟议的论坛将以在纳米材料和纳米现象方面进行基础研究（实验和建模）的研究人员和使用纳米技术作为汇聚平台实现可持续能源、水和环境联系的研究人员之间的讨论为特色。据论坛主席所知，这将是美国和非洲在这些领域最大的研究人员聚会。论坛期间将举行全体会议和分组会议。在论坛的最后一天，每个参与者将被分配到三个关于能源、水和环境的分组会议中的一个。每次会议将由一名主持人主持，并负责制定一份建议和主题清单，以启动来自美国和SSA的科学家/工程师之间的合作研究活动，以推进纳米技术的融合，实现可持续的能源、水和环境联系。美非纳米技术融合论坛的全体会议和分组会议将于2019年8月11日星期一至8月15日星期四在约翰内斯堡的UNISA科学园区举行。讨论将以跨学科的观点为指导，整合基础科学和工程应用。在为期4天的论坛期间，将讨论的主题和交叉领域包括：1)用于能源产生和储存的纳米材料（例如光伏，燃料电池和电池），2)用于水净化的纳米材料（例如处理，再利用和脱盐），3)用于二氧化碳捕获和转化的纳米材料以及4)用于(i)环境传感和监测的纳米材料，（ii）分离科学与技术和（iii）催化。除了促进美国和非洲科学家/工程师之间的合作研究之外，论坛主席还将利用会议讨论和演讲来编辑和出版题为“非洲纳米技术融合”的《纳米粒子研究杂志》特刊，重点关注解决能源、水、食品、健康和环境方面的全球社会挑战的研究。本次研讨会的成功完成有望促进有意义的合作，并在利用纳米技术作为平台推进美国融合研究和教育方面产生更广泛的影响。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

NSF has identified Convergence Research and Education as one of the "10 Big Ideas" for future investment. The overarching goal of this workshop is to advance Convergence Research and Education in the United States (US) by providing a platform for discussion and collaboration between researchers (including graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty) from the US and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) through this first "US-Africa Forum on Nanotechnology Convergence for Sustainable Energy, Water, and Environment". The University of South Africa (UNISA) will serve as host for the forum. The proposed forum will feature discussion between researchers conducting fundamental research (experiments and modeling) in nanomaterials and nanoscale phenomena and those using nanotechnology as a convergence platform to achieve a sustainable energy, water, and environment nexus. To the Forum's Chairs knowledge, this would be the largest gathering of researchers in these fields from both the US and Africa. Both plenary and concurrent breakout sessions will take place during the forum. During the final day of the forum, each participant will be assigned to one of three concurrent breakout sessions devoted to energy, water and environment. Each session will be led by a facilitator and charged to develop a list of recommendations and topics to initiate collaborative research activities between scientists/engineers from the US and SSA to advance nanotechnology convergence for a sustainable energy, water, and environment nexus.The plenary and breakout sessions of the US-Africa Forum on Nanotechnology Convergence will be held at the UNISA Science Campus in Johannesburg from Monday August 11 through Thursday August 15, 2019. The discussion will be guided by a transdisciplinary perspective that integrates fundamental science and engineering applications. Topical and crosscutting areas that will be discussed during the 4-day forum include: 1) nanomaterials for energy generation and storage (e.g. photovoltaics, fuel cells and batteries), 2) nanomaterials for water purification (e.g. treatment, reuse and desalination), 3) nanomaterials for CO2 capture and conversion and 4) nanotechnology for (i) environmental sensing and monitoring, (ii) separation science and technology and (iii) catalysis. In addition to the facilitation of collaborative research between US and African scientists/engineers, the Forum Chairs will leverage the conference discussion and presentations to edit and publish a special issue of the Journal of Nanoparticle Research entitled "Nanotechnology Convergence in Africa" with a focus on research that addresses global societal challenges in energy, water, food, health and environment. The successful completion of this workshop is expected to catalyze meaningful collaborations with great potential for broader impacts in advancing Convergence Research and Education in the US using Nanotechnology as a platform.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.