EAGER/Collaborative Research: Overcoming Barriers to Diffusion and Adoption of Sustainable and Resilient Building Materials in Coastal Areas of Southern Mexico

1321464（Biles）和1321489（Matta）这个EAGER研究项目的目标是：（1）了解在墨西哥尤卡坦州沿海地区推广和采用当地开发的可持续和弹性建筑技术的社会，文化和经济障碍;以及（2）研究如何利用地方和跨国网络开展和传播研究，以克服这些障碍。该研究领域是实施拟议的自下而上的方法研究“本土”技术传播和采用障碍的理想选择，因为：它特别容易受到自然灾害的影响和不断升级的风险（例如，当地的合作材料科学家研究了两种待评估的候选建筑材料并制作了原型，一种用于新建筑（木塑复合材料），另一种用于改造/维修（低成本水泥聚合物砂浆）;当地利益攸关方尚未接受创新。该项目将通过最近的概念和分析社会科学观点的透镜，包括社会网络分析和科学，以及技术和社会（STS）研究，调查传播和采用建筑技术的障碍。从历史上看，最强大的技术、文化和抱负联系是从全球南方到全球北方。最近，运输和通信创新使南南互动更加可行和活跃。然而，社会科学研究尚未评估更密集、多等级的南南网络对传播和采用新建筑技术的影响。通过测试所提出的研究假设，将创造新的知识，了解如何将影响技术扩散和采用的社会因素整合到构思，研究和开发新建筑技术的过程中，并将其从实验室带到现场。该项目将为研究人员（1个少数民族，2名妇女和2名早期职业）和学生提供参与实质性国际研究的机会。在社会效益方面，研究将有助于减轻研究地区灾害的影响，并可能应用于美国沿海地区和其他地方。该项目还将促进自下而上的合作，作为改善生活质量的替代手段，并代表着在全球南部沿海地区传播知识的跨国网络的第一个组成部分。该奖项由NSF国际科学与工程办公室（OISE）的全球风险基金（GVF）和CBET/ENG环境可持续性计划共同资助。

1321464 (Biles) and 1321489 (Matta)The objective of this EAGER research project is to: (1) understand social, cultural and economic barriers to the diffusion and adoption of locally developed sustainable and resilient building technologies for residential dwellings in the coastal region of the State of Yucatán, Mexico; and (2) examine how local and transnational networks for the conduct and dissemination of research can enable overcoming those barriers. The study area is ideal to implement the proposed bottom-up approach study barriers to the diffusion and adoption of 'indigenous" technologies since: it is especially prone to the effects and escalating risk of natural hazards (e.g., high winds) and global climate change; local collaborating materials scientists have studied and prototyped two candidate building materials to be evaluated, one for new construction (wood-plastic composites) and one for retrofit/repair (low-cost cement-polymer mortar); and, local stakeholders have yet to embrace innovations. The project will investigate barriers to the diffusion and adoption of building technologies through the lens of recent conceptual and analytical social science perspectives, including social network analysis and science, and technology and society (STS) studies. Historically, the strongest technological, cultural and aspirational connections have run from the Global South to the Global North. Recently, transportation and communication innovations have made South-South interaction more viable and vibrant. Social science research, however, has not assessed the impact of more intense, multi-scalar South-South networks on the diffusion and adoption of new building technologies. By testing the proposed research hypothesis, new knowledge will be created to understand how to integrate social considerations influencing technology diffusion and adoption into the process of conceiving, researching and developing new building technologies, and shepherding them from the laboratory to the field. The project will provide opportunities for a diverse team of researchers (1 minority, 2 women, and 2 early-career) and students to participate in substantive international research. With respect to societal benefits, research will contribute to the mitigation of the impacts of disasters in the study area, with potential application to coastal regions of the US and elsewhere. The project will also promote bottom-up collaboration as an alternative means of improving quality of life and represents the first building block for a transnational network for the dissemination of knowledge in coastal regions of the Global South. This award is co-funded by the Global Venture Fund (GVF) of NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and the CBET/ENG Environmental Sustainability program.