Collaborative Research: Planning Grant: I/UCRC for Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites

1266159爱荷华州立大学；大卫·格雷厄尔1266249马萨诸塞州洛厄尔大学；玛格丽特·索布科维奇克莱恩拟建中心的目标是：提高对生物塑料和生物复合材料的合成、加工、性能和复合的基本了解；为工业合作伙伴开发可靠的材料特性数据；以及支持可再生材料的大规模实施。爱荷华州立大学和马萨诸塞大学洛厄尔分校正在合作建立这个拟议的中心，爱荷华州立大学是牵头机构。拟议工作的智力价值在于创造了变革性的新材料和加工技术，以及必要的可靠、可比较的材料数据，以便能够高效和有利可图地在工业上使用生物可再生替代材料。这将减少对石油的依赖和有害温室气体的排放。研究团队包括来自聚合物加工、聚合物化学、材料科学和作物利用领域的专家。它结合了广泛的经验和专业知识，从而实现了全面的跨学科方法。拟议中的中心的愿景是发展知识，使人们能够从与当前制造系统兼容的具有吸引力的规模的农业原料中生产一系列高价值产品，包括塑料、涂料、粘合剂和复合材料，从而促进农村经济发展和可持续发展。拟建的中心将对环境和经济产生积极影响。该中心通过研究产生的知识将加速对生物塑料的需求，促进不太可能被外包的大量、可持续的劳动力。由于大部分研究将由本科生/研究生和博士后研究助理进行，该中心将培训和教育未来的科学家和工程师。该中心还将准备面向K-12教师的网络视频，指导如何在课堂上制作简单易用的现成生物塑料。通过利用各校区现有的活动，该中心将努力实现50%招收代表不足的学生。此外，通过与相同的组织合作并采用类似的方法，该中心将努力留住90%的这些学生。

1266159 Iowa State University; David Grewell 1266249 University of Massachusetts Lowell; Margaret SobkowiczKline The goals of the proposed center are: to improve the basic understanding of the synthesis, processing, properties, and compounding of bioplastic and biocomposite materials; to develop reliable material characteristics data for industrial partners; and to support large-scale implementation of renewable magterials. Iowa State University and the University of Massachusetts Lowell are collaborating to establish the proposed center, with Iowa State University as the lead institution. The intellectual merit of the proposed work lies in the creation of transformative new materials and processing technologies and the necessary reliable, comparable material data to allow efficient and profitable industrial use of biorenewable alternative materials. This will reduce dependence on petroleum and the release of harmful greenhouse gases. The team of researchers includes experts from the fields of polymer processing, polymer chemistry, materials science, and crop utilization. It combines a wide breadth of experience and expertise allowing a well-rounded interdisciplinary approach. The proposed center's vision is to develop the knowledge that will allow the production of an array of high-value products, including plastics, coatings, adhesives, and composites, from agricultural feedstocks that are compatible with current manufacturing systems at attractive scales and thereby promote rural-based economic development and sustainability. The proposed center will have positive impacts on the environment and the economy. The knowledge generated through research at the center will accelerate the demand for bioplastics, promoting a substantial, sustainable workforce that is less likely to be outsourced. Because much of the research will be conducted by undergraduate/graduate students and postdoctoral research associates, this center will train and educate future scientists and engineers. The center will also prepare web-based videos targeted at K-12 teachers that will provide instructions on how to make simple and easy off-the-shelf bioplastics in the classrooms. By leveraging existing activities on the various campuses, the center will strive to achieve 50% recruitment of under-represented students. In addition, by working with the same organizations and using a similar approach, the center will strive to retain 90% of these students.