Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

摘要：哈佛MRSEC专注于前沿材料研究，研究凝胶、聚合物和胶体悬浮液等柔软且易变形的材料。软质材料广泛应用于从柔性电子产品到生物医学设备的各种应用中。本中心由两个跨学科研究小组IRGs组成。IRG 1将在材料合成、建模和3D打印方面取得根本性进展，从而能够创造增强人类性能的功能性软材料。能够感知、驱动和交流的新型软材料将被开发用于可穿戴设备、触觉界面和人造肌肉，以增强人类技术前沿的未来工作，即未来的高级机器人技术。IRG 2将产生关于机械软系统的行为的新见解，这些系统受到远离平衡的扰动。通过将数据丰富的实验、理论和人工智能相结合，该研究将通过将其应用扩展到软材料，为驾驭数据革命做出巨大贡献。该中心的一个重要贡献是通过与少数族裔服务机构的密切合作，包括与部落学院的开创性合作，增加材料科学参与者的多样性。该中心还培养了独特且非常成功的举措，将退伍军人带入STEM领域。通过建立新的科学方向，该中心专注于揭示软材料中的复杂现象，目标是将这些进步转化为造福社会。技术摘要：哈佛MRSEC支持软物质科学前沿的高度协作、多学科研究。中心的研究活动分为两个跨学科研究小组。第一个研究小组专注于跨多个尺度的功能性软物质的预测设计和可编程组装，这些软物质可以感知、驱动和响应外部刺激进行通信。第二个研究小组通过结合数据丰富的实验、机器学习和理论，专注于机械软系统中受到远离平衡的扰动的非平衡现象。MRSEC还支持种子项目，以便对新发现做出快速反应。该中心通过其强大的指导和充满活力的教育和外展伙伴关系和活动干部，为本科生，研究生和博士后提供智力严谨和广泛的培训。MRSEC培育了一种创新和创业的文化，通过广泛的产业合作和众多初创公司的形成，提高了国民经济的竞争力，这些公司直接基于NSF的支持，创造了新的高科技工作岗位。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。

Nontechnical Abstract: The Harvard MRSEC focuses on cutting edge materials research, investigating materials such as gels, polymers, and colloidal suspensions that are soft and easily deformable. Soft materials are widely used in applications ranging from flexible electronics to biomedical devices. The Center consists of two interdisciplinary research groups, IRGs. IRG 1 will yield fundamental advances in materials synthesis, modeling, and 3D printing that enable the creation of functional soft materials that augment human performance. New classes of soft materials that sense, actuate, and communicate will be developed for use in wearables, haptic interfaces, and artificial muscles to enhance Future Work at the Human-Technology Frontier, namely, for superior future robotics. IRG 2 will yield new insights regarding the behavior of mechanically soft systems that are subjected to perturbations far from equilibrium. By combining data-rich experiments, theory, and artificial intelligence, the research will contribute greatly to Harnessing the Data Revolution by expanding its application to soft materials. An essential contribution of the Center is to increase the diversity of participants in materials science through close collaborations with minority-serving institutions, including a ground-breaking partnership with a Tribal College. The Center also fosters unique and highly successful initiatives that bring returning veterans into STEM fields. By forging new scientific directions, the Center focuses on unraveling complex phenomena in soft materials with the goal of translating these advances to benefit society. Technical Abstract: The Harvard MRSEC supports highly collaborative, multidisciplinary research at the forefront of soft matter science. The Center’s research activities are organized into two interdisciplinary research groups. The first research group focuses on the predictive design and programmable assembly of functional soft matter across multiple scales that sense, actuate, and communicate in response to external stimuli. The second research group focuses on the non-equilibrium phenomena in mechanically soft systems subjected to perturbations far from equilibrium through a combination of data-rich experiments, machine learning, and theory. The MRSEC also supports seed projects to enable rapid response to emerging discoveries. The Center provides intellectual rigor and broad training to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows through its strong mentorship and vibrant cadre of educational and outreach partnerships and activities. The MRSEC fosters a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy through extensive industrial collaborations and formation of numerous start-up companies creating new high-tech jobs based directly on NSF support.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.