RII Track-1: Louisiana Materials Design Alliance (LAMDA)

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This project, known as LAMDA, aims to improve the global competitiveness of U.S. industries that use advanced manufacturing methods, specifically additive manufacturing (which is also known as 3D printing). The additive manufacturing process builds a three-dimensional (3D) object from a computer-aided design model, usually by successively adding material layer by layer. The layering material is commonly metal or polymer. Because the layering process can introduce defects, research is needed to improve both the understanding of the additive manufacturing process and the metals and plastics used for layering. LAMDA will achieve this research by using machine learning to improve the design of metals and polymers that give superior performance when used in additive manufacturing. End-user input for the project will be provided by industrial manufacturing and aerospace leaders from across the U.S. LAMDA’s education products will include new courses and course modules, as well as an industry-supported technology demonstration testbed. The project’s research activities will be integrated with an ambitious agenda to engage students and faculty of all levels across the state with targeted activities that will lead to a better-trained, more diverse STEM workforce. LAMDA brings together several of Louisiana’s public and private academic institutions to generate fundamental insights into the complex relationships among composition, processing, microstructure, performance, and structural integrity within the context of additive manufacturing. Achievement of this objective will be accelerated by using machine learning. LAMDA research will focus on designing complex concentrated alloys and thermoset shape memory polymers specifically for additive manufacturing applications. The scientific vision of LAMDA is to build the design framework for new complex concentrated alloys and thermoset shape memory polymers for additive manufacturing with required performance and structural integrity, reliability, and durability. To realize this vision, a machine-learning-guided approach will be employed to navigate extended compositional spaces towards the design goals. The LAMDA project will forge new collaborations among participating institutions and establish new partnerships with federal agencies and industries to build sustainable research and education programs in Louisiana focused on additive manufacturing. LAMDA will grow the Louisiana STEM workforce with a series of activities including extended/reverse research experiences for undergraduates, professional development for undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, course module development for undergraduate and graduate education, hiring and mentoring of new faculty, and training for community college educators.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.