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

拟议的规划补助金活动旨在进一步发展一个多元化的研究人员和学员群体，围绕工程活礁状结构的新概念，重新设想海岸线建筑块的设计，制造和使用新的生活材料和可持续技术的方式。拟议的规划补助金将通过使用便利的研讨会，公共研讨会和结构化小组会议来支持跨地理和学科界限的团队建设，以建立和培养一个多元化和包容性的研究团队，积极吸引不同的利益相关者参与拟议的研究，培训和成果。拟议活动的一个关键目标是培训学生掌握必要的技术、分析和交流技能，使其成为生物材料技术创新和可持续性规划的有效“催化剂”;准备下一个-规划拨款小组计划利用基因工程硅藻表达蛋白质，选择性地提取无机物，前体，如硅从水中。硅藻将反过来使用提取的前体来组装混合硅藻壳，这些硅藻壳可用作可持续建筑环境的建筑材料。为了准备解决拟议的研究目标，该团队将采用专业促进研讨会，以加强跨学科界限的沟通，这是建立跨学科团队的关键组成部分。PI描述了创建一个对海岸线修复和可持续建筑材料感兴趣的利益相关者网络，确保将各种最终用户输入纳入其研究。拟议的活动还包括在规划赠款活动期间让布法罗大学的RENEW研究所参与，这将提供政策、城市规划、可持续性和环境/生态经济学领域的专门知识。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，因为社会、经济、政治，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识产权进行评估，优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。

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.