SBIR Phase I: Prototyping a Laboratory Kit to Assist Undergraduate Instructors in Teaching Self-Assembly

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力在于激励跨学科创新，以实现更高效、更智能和更安全的技术。这些好处将通过向下一代劳动力提供关于这一现象的知识来实现，这一现象正在彻底改变现代创新生态系统。这种奇观被称为“自组装”，被大自然用来建造从蛋白质复合体到生物有机体的各种结构。研究人员正在利用这一自然现象来推动科学进步，包括计算能力增强的纳米线和具有更大治疗潜力的药物，证明自组装具有跨多个学科的颠覆性技术的潜力。为了充分释放这一现象的创新潜力，必须以一种引人入胜和有洞察力的方式向下一代科学家和工程师教授自我组装。这个SBIR第一阶段项目旨在将自组装整合到本科理科课程的教学课程中。通过教育学生了解自我组装的复杂性和应用，这个项目将激发未来的突破，并获得复合的社会和商业利益。拟议的项目旨在制作一种以消费者为中心的最小可生存产品(MVP)的原型，帮助本科生教师教授新兴的自我组装现象。迄今为止没有这样的产品很可能是由于技术障碍，这些障碍挑战了以跨学科但直接的方式展示自我组装的能力。研究目标包括概念验证实验和重复产品构建，以设计一个有效地迎合本科生教师及其教学实践的原型。更具体地说，目标是：1.设计跨多个规模和学科展示自组装的部件。2.创造教育内容，有效地传播自我组装及其应用的知识。3.根据最终用户体验对原型进行现场测试和优化。由此产生的MVP将提供材料和说明，以成本效益高和易于部署的方式进行各种自组装演示。该产品将是第一个以这种方式解决自我组装问题的教育工具。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project resides in motivating cross-disciplinary innovations for more efficient, smarter, and safer technologies. These benefits will be realized by empowering the next generation workforce with knowledge of a phenomenon that is revolutionizing the modern day innovation ecosystem. This marvel is called "self-assembly", and is used by nature to build structures ranging from protein complexes to living organisms. Researchers are harnessing this natural phenomenon to drive scientific advancements including nanowires with increased computing power and pharmaceuticals with greater therapeutic potential, demonstrating that self-assembly holds the potential to seed disruptive technologies across multiple disciplines. To unlock the full innovative potential of this phenomenon, self-assembly must be taught to the upcoming generation of scientists and engineers in an engaging and insightful manner. This SBIR Phase I project aims to integrate self-assembly into the teaching curriculum of undergraduate science courses. By educating students about the intricacies and applications of self-assembly, this project will inspire future breakthroughs and accrue compounding societal and commercial benefits. The proposed project aims to prototype a consumer-focused minimum viable product (MVP) that assists undergraduate instructors in teaching the emerging phenomenon of selfassembly. The absence of such a product to date is likely attributable to the technical hurdles that challenge the ability to demonstrate self-assembly in a cross-disciplinary yet straightforward manner. The research objectives incorporate proof-of-concept experimentation and reiterative product builds to design a prototype that efficiently caters to undergraduate instructors and their teaching practices. More specifically, the objectives are to: 1. Design components that demonstrate self-assembly across multiple scales and disciplines. 2. Create educational content that effectively disseminates knowledge of self-assembly and its applications. 3. Field-test and optimize the prototype in response to end user experiences. The resulting MVP will provide materials and instructions to conduct various self-assembly demonstrations in a cost-effective and readily deployable manner. The product would be the first educational tool to address self-assembly in this manner.