Planning: Track 1 EFRI DCL: Living Biomineralization to Engineering Architected Ceramics

拟议的规划赠款活动旨在围绕工程生命珊瑚礁结构的新概念进一步培养一批不同的研究人员和受训人员，这些结构根据新的生物材料和可持续技术重新设想海岸线积木的设计、制造和占用方式。拟议的规划赠款将通过促进研讨会、公共研讨会和有组织的分组会议，支持跨越地理和学科界限的团队建设，以建立和培育一支多样化和包容性的研究团队，积极让不同的利益攸关方参与拟议的研究、培训和成果。拟议活动的一个关键目标是培训学生所需的技术、分析和沟通技能，以成为生物材料技术创新和可持续发展规划的有效“催化剂”；为建筑行业期望的跨学科团队培养下一代工程领导人。规划拨款团队计划使用基因工程硅藻来表达蛋白质，这些蛋白质可以选择性地从水中提取无机前体，如硅。硅藻将反过来使用提取的前体来组装杂交树枝，这些树枝可以用作可持续建筑环境的建筑材料。为准备实现拟议的研究目标，该小组将采用专业协助的讲习班，以加强跨学科界限的沟通，这是建立跨学科小组的一个关键组成部分。PIs描述了建立一个对海岸线补救和可持续建筑材料感兴趣的利益攸关方网络，确保将各种最终用户的意见纳入他们的研究。拟议的活动还包括让布法罗大学的RENEW研究所参与规划赠款活动，这将提供政策、城市规划、可持续发展和环境/生态经济学领域的专业知识。这些活动可以作为可持续生活建筑材料技术领域研究生培训的典范，因为与海岸线和社区采用可持续材料技术相关的社会、经济、政治和管理挑战超越了正在考虑的特定技术。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The proposed planning grant activities aim to further develop a diverse group of researchers and trainees around new concepts in engineered living reeflike structures that reimagine ways in which shoreline building blocks are designed, manufactured, and occupied in light of new living materials and sustainable technologies. The proposed planning grant will support team-building across the geographic and disciplinary boundaries through the use of facilitated workshops, a public symposium, and structured sub-group meetings in order to build and foster a diverse and inclusive research team that actively engages diverse stakeholders in the proposed research, training, and outcomes. A key goal of the proposed activities is to train students in the technical, analytical, and communication skills needed to be effective “catalysts” of living material technological innovation and sustainability planning; preparing the next-generation of engineering leaders for the interdisciplinary teamwork that is expected by building industries.The planning grant team plans to use genetically engineer diatoms to express proteins that selectively extract inorganic precursors such as silicon from the water. The diatoms will in turn use the extracted precursors to assemble hybrid frustules that can be used as architectural material for a sustainable built environment. To prepare to address the proposed research goals, the team will employ professionally facilitated workshops to strengthen communication across disciplinary boundaries, a key component of building an inter-disciplinary team. The PIs describe creating a network of stakeholders interested in shoreline remediation and sustainable building materials, making sure to incorporate the diverse array of end-user input into their research. The proposed activities also include engaging the University of Buffalo's RENEW Institute during planning grant activities, which will provide expertise in the areas of policy, urban planning, sustainability, and environmental/ecological economics. These activities can serve as a model for graduate training in the area of sustainable living building material technology, since the social, economic, political, and management challenges associated with shorelines’ and communities’ adoption of sustainable material technologies transcend the specific technology being considered.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.