Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Electrosymbiotic Engineering, Design, and Technology (CEED-TECH)

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The Center for Electrosymbiotic Engineering, Design, and Technology (CEED-Tech) will investigate the design rules of recognition, organization, and performance that allow electrochemically active microorganisms to interact with inert electronic materials through a process called electrosymbiotics. The Center seeks to harness bioprocesses through technologies designed to address pressing issues in water security, renewable energy, and green manufacturing. Currently, there are knowledge, training, and technical gaps that limit our ability to diversify and scale up these technologies for industrial applications. Without multidisciplinary efforts, the field has lagged in the workforce training and diversification that is critical for building productive partnerships, collaborative infrastructure, and large-scale networks between academia and industry that are needed for technology development. This Engineering Research Center (ERC) Planning Grant will bring together a diverse team of scientists, engineers, and relevant stakeholders (academia, industry, and policymakers) and prioritize efforts through in-person and remote planning meetings to develop a full ERC proposal. Specifically, we will (1) identify key stakeholders for pressing sustainability issues in electrosymbiotic engineering, (2) reach consensus on the significant bottlenecks in advancing electrosymbiotic technologies, (3) refine proposed solutions for developing large-scale electrosymbiotic technologies, (4) build technical and administrative teams, and (5) develop a shared vision across all Center Participants with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Electrosymbiotic engineering is a new field of science that integrates many STEM disciplines in engineering and life sciences to actualize technologies critical for economic integration and growth. Advancing technology transfer in the field requires a convergent and innovative research and education plan across all science and engineering areas influencing electrosymbiotics and between academia and industry. The Center will leverage the diversity required by this field to create engineering platform designs for market-ready technologies modeled as integrated systems for stable performance and scalability. Overcoming the scalability bottleneck will bring transformative electrosymbiotic platforms to the testbed stage. The testbeds will provide integrated environments for problem-solving and new product development. The planned research efforts will be sustained by the targeted and inclusive training program that is needed to develop a workforce with the core competencies, intellectual versatility, and industry knowledge required for long-term professional success and technology implementation. This dynamic and integrated approach will diversify the economic technology portfolio, promoting growth in 1) sustainable manufacturing, 2) greenhouse gas sequestration, 3) cost-effective wastewater treatment, 4) reclamation of strategically important metals, 5) sensors innovation, and 6) enhanced methods for contaminant removal. Industries built on this new Center-created knowledge will contribute to our shared economic prosperity and security. This planning grant will allow us to bring together a team of scientists, engineers, and stakeholders to strategically integrate center-driven activities for sustained growth and innovation within the emerging field of electrosymbiotic engineering.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.