Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UCSB

位于加州大学圣巴巴拉分校的美国国家科学基金会材料研究科学与工程中心开发并维持了一个富有成效、协作和参与的社区，推动了一系列变革性材料研究，并赋予了多样化的劳动力。研究团队解决了化学、生物学和工程领域的基础材料挑战，并将其应用于先进制造、清洁和可持续能源。该研究推进了材料的合成、表征、测量和建模。例如，通过开发新的方法和工具，对基本理解的关注具有持续的影响。此外，鉴于数据驱动发现的核心作用，已经创建了一个数据专家组，其成员在开发人工智能和机器学习方面具有核心研究专业知识，并与所有参与者合作。共享的研究设施促进了各级的有效合作，促进了与工业界的互动，并培育了初创企业。加州大学圣巴巴拉分校社区的繁荣和参与社区的愿景有助于通过全面的研究，教育和外展活动培养各种各样的参与者。一系列的教育和推广活动向学生和公众介绍材料科学，支持教师开发科学课程，为本科生提供高质量的研究经验，并鼓励研究生和其他研究人员参与并与公众互动。加州大学圣巴巴拉分校材料研究科学与工程中心的两个跨学科研究小组推进了可持续能源、工程生物学和材料科学的先进制造和材料方面的国家优先事项。这两个项目都集成了合成、表征、测量、理论/计算和数据驱动的发现。静电介导的聚合物加工为离子介导、无溶剂的聚合物、混合物和纳米结构的加工开发了策略和设计原则。该研究推进了基本的理解，将分子设计与无溶剂或精益系统中的材料特性联系起来，对聚合物的可持续性和制造产生影响。仿生可塑性专注于水膨胀网络，这是软植入物和触觉的关键生物材料。这种可塑性模仿了生命系统，其中细胞和组织在响应刺激时重新配置，合成系统通过耗散和变形更好地适应和加强对一系列刺激的响应。在这两个项目中，这些研究工作的核心是对培养多样化、协作性和跨学科的下一代劳动力产生更广泛的影响。教育和推广活动的重点是社区建设，参与者包括K-12学生和教师、本科生和研究生、博士后研究人员和教师导师。一系列的活动向学生和公众介绍材料科学，支持教师开发科学课程，为本科生提供高质量的研究经验，并鼓励研究生和其他研究人员参与并与公众互动。多样性和包容性是贯穿所有研究、教育和推广工作的中心主题，加州大学圣巴巴拉分校既是为西班牙裔美国人服务的机构，也是为亚裔美国人和美洲土著太平洋岛民服务的机构，这一机构的设置增强了其更广泛的影响。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 descriptionThe NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UC Santa Barbara develops and sustains a productive, collaborative, and engaged community that drives a portfolio of transformative materials research and empowers a diverse workforce. The research team addresses fundamental materials challenges at the interface of chemistry, biology, and engineering with applications in advanced manufacturing, and clean and sustainable energy. The research advances materials synthesis, characterization, measurements, and modeling. A focus on fundamental understanding has sustained impact, for example, through the development of new methods and tools. In addition, given the central role of data-driven discovery, a Data Expert Group has been created whose members have core research expertise in developing artificial intelligence and machine learning and collaborate with all participants. Shared research facilities promote effective collaboration at all levels, catalyze interactions with industry, and nurture start-ups. The vision of a thriving and engaged community at UC Santa Barbara community helps cultivate a diverse range of participants through a comprehensive portfolio of research, education, and outreach activities. A range of education and outreach activities introduce materials science to schoolchildren and the public, support teachers to develop science curricula, provide undergraduates with high-quality research experiences, and encourage graduate students and other researchers to engage and interact with the public. Technical descriptionThe two Interdisciplinary Research Groups in the UC Santa Barbara Materials Research Science and Engineering Center advance national priorities in advanced manufacturing and materials for sustainable energy, engineering biology, and materials science. Both projects integrate synthesis, characterization, measurement, theory/computation, and data-driven discovery. Electrostatically Mediated Polymer Processing develops strategies and design principles for ion-mediated, solvent-free processing of polymers, blends, and nanostructures. The research advances fundamental understanding to link molecular design with material properties in solvent-free or lean systems with implications for polymer sustainability and manufacturing. Bioinspired Plasticity focuses on water-swollen networks that are critical as biomaterials for soft implants and haptics. Such plasticity mimics living systems wherein cells and tissue reconfigure in response to stimuli with synthetic systems that better adapt and strengthen in response to a range of stimuli through dissipation and deformation. Central to these research efforts in both projects are broader impacts in training a diverse, collaborative, and interdisciplinary next-generation workforce.Education and outreach activities focus on community building with participants from K-12 students and teachers, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty mentors. A range of activities introduce materials science to schoolchildren and the public, support teachers to develop science curricula, provide undergraduates with high-quality research experiences, and encourage graduate students and other researchers to engage and interact with the public. Diversity and inclusion are central themes throughout all research, education, and outreach efforts with broader impacts enhanced by the institutional setting of UC Santa Barbara being both a Hispanic-serving and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institution.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.