IUCRC Phase I IUPUI: Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming (CEIF)

这个产学研合作研究中心（IUCRC）通过昆虫养殖（CEIF）实现环境可持续发展，这是IUCRC首次支持动物营养和人类食品行业，超越目前可用的传统蛋白质来源。以目前的人口增长速度，传统农业将面临满足蛋白质需求的巨大压力。昆虫养殖可以增加动物和人类的食物供应。此外，在生产高价值蛋白质的同时，采用可持续和具有成本效益的方法修复农业废弃物，对生态系统和农业的长期健康至关重要。精选的昆虫可以吸收废物，例如农业生态系统或城市环境产生的废物，并将其转化为蛋白质和堆肥。业界可以利用该中心创造的知识进一步探索昆虫蛋白的用途，并获得适当的监管批准，作为人类和动物的食品。因此，昆虫养殖及其创新可以代表一种循环经济，减少土地和/或水的使用，减少温室气体排放。昆虫养殖还可以减轻对海洋和农业资源的压力，以生产用于食品和动物饲料的蛋白质。昆虫养殖环境可持续性研究中心（CEIF）将由印第安纳大学-普渡大学印第安纳波利斯分校（IUPUI）、德州农工大学农业生物研究所（TAMU）和密西西比州立大学（MSU）这三个机构组成，每个机构都专注于一个特定的研究领域。TAMU将作为该中心的领导站点。这些站点将协同工作，提供行业所需的昆虫系统遗传学/基因组学基础研究，评估性状的遗传能力，并确定性状的遗传贡献，为未来的大规模生产优化提供条件。通过这项研究，新的知识和技术填补了与畜牧和水产养殖生产有关的昆虫养殖以及供人类食用的昆虫相关的关键科学和工业空白。实验室和现场实验也将涉及微生物学、工程学、化学、食品营养学、生理学和脊椎动物生物学等跨学科专业知识，并采用尖端技术。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。

This Industry University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming (CEIF) represents a first of its kind IUCRC to support the animal nutrition and human food industries that go beyond conventional protein sources currently available. At current rates of population growth, traditional agriculture will be under intense pressure to meet protein demands. Insect farming can increase the food supply for both animals and humans. In addition, sustainable and cost effective methods for remediating agricultural waste while producing high value protein is essential to the long term health of ecosystems and agriculture. Select insects can take waste, such as that produced in agro-ecosystems or urban environments, and convert it into protein and compost. Industry can utilize the knowledge created in the center to further explore the use of insect protein, with suitable regulatory approvals, as food for humans and animals. Thus, insect-farming and its innovations could represent a circular economy, which reduces land and/or water use and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Insect farming may also relieve the stress imposed on marine and agricultural resources to generate protein for food and animal feed. The Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming (CEIF) will be comprised of three sites (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis [IUPUI], Texas A&M AgriLife Research [TAMU], and Mississippi State University [MSU]), with each site specializing in a specific area of research. TAMU will serve as the lead site for the center. The sites will work collaboratively to deliver Industry desired fundamental research into the genetics/genomics of the insect systems, evaluating the heritability of traits, and a determination of the genetic contribution to traits, allowing for future optimization of mass production. Through this research, new knowledge and technologies that fill critical scientific and industrial gaps that relate to the insect farming as related to livestock and aquaculture production and for insects for human consumption. Laboratory and field-based experiments will also engage interdisciplinary expertise in microbiology, engineering, chemistry, food nutrition, physiology, and vertebrate biology with cutting edge technologies.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.