U.S.-India International Research Experience for Students in Self-Assembling Stimuli-Responsive Biomimetic Polymers

1132079南密西西比摩根大学美国-印度学生在自组装刺激响应型仿生聚合物(IRES)方面的国际研究经验(IRES)南密西西比大学聚合物与高性能材料学院(SPHPM)教授Sarah Morgan将与印度德里理工学院(IIT-D)聚合物科学与工程中心Veena Choudhary教授共同启动一个为期3年的IRES项目。IRES建立在Morgan和Choudhary在纳米材料方面的现有合作基础上，将允许美国研究生和本科生在IIT-D进行研究，重点是设计仿生刺激响应型自组装聚合物，用于潜在的生物材料或控制释放应用。合作涉及通过受控自由基聚合技术为能够模拟生物反应的建筑设计聚合物。该项目将IIT-D在生物材料设计和分析方面的优势与SPHPM在受控聚合物合成、溶液和表面分析以及自组装聚合物结构开发方面的专业知识结合在一起。研究人员将探索两个仿生系统-1)合成仿生聚合物中影响蛋白质结合的结构因素，以及2)pH响应型聚合体的包裹和释放行为，以确定聚合物的自组装特性随加工和环境条件的变化。网络技术将促进数据和思想的交换，加快研究进程，以及开发应用于传感和诊断的新材料。对于南密西西比大学中代表性不足的群体来说，这是一个独特的机会，可以参与印度顶尖理工学院之一的国际研究。与其他国家的学生相比，美国学生参与国际研究的程度要低得多，而在少数族裔中，参与研究的人要少得多。除了在IIT-D导师的指导下进行实验室研究外，IRES的学生还将在印度体验强大的文化项目，并有机会参观当地的聚合物企业以及领先跨国公司建立的研究中心，以了解这家全球研究企业。

1132079Morgan University of Southern Mississippi U.S.-India International Research Experience for Students (IRES) in Self-Assembling Stimuli-Responsive Biomimetic Polymers Professor Sarah Morgan, University of Southern Mississippi School of Polymers & High Performance Materials (SPHPM) will launch a 3-year IRES program with Professor Veena Choudhary, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D), Center for Polymer Science & Engineering. The IRES builds on an existing collaboration between Morgan and Choudhary in nanomaterials and will allow US graduate and undergraduates to conduct research at IIT-D that focuses on the design of biomimetic stimuli-responsive self-assembling polymers for potential application in biomaterials or controlled release applications. The collaboration involves the design of polymers for architectures capable of mimicking biological response through controlled radical polymerization techniques. This project combines IIT-D strengths in design and analysis of biomaterials with SPHPM expertise in controlled polymer synthesis, solution and surface analysis, and development of self-assembling polymeric structures. The investigators will explore two biomimetic systems- 1) the structural factors in synthetic biomimetic polymers that affect protein binding in polymers, and 2) the encapsulation and release behavior of pH-responsive polymersomes to determine self-assembling properties of polymers as a function of processing and environmental conditions. Web technology will facilitate the exchange of data and ideas, accelerate the research process, as well as the development of new materials for application in sensing and diagnostics. This is a unique opportunity for under-represented groups at the University of Southern Mississippi to participate in international research at one of India's premier institutes of technology. US students participate in international research to a much lesser degree than students from other countries, and among minorities, there are significantly fewer participants. Apart from conducting laboratory research with IIT-D mentors, IRES students will experience a strong cultural program while in India and will have the opportunity to visit local polymer businesses along with research centers established by leading multinational companies in order to gain some appreciation of the global research enterprise.