Workshop to Develop US Leadership in the Emerging Area of Soft Evolutionary Materials; Washington University; St. Louis, Missouri; 13 October 2019

可以根据需要改变形状和功能的进化材料一直是许多技术革命的核心，包括激光和快速致动器。一场新的材料革命正在进行中，进化材料不仅改变了形式和功能，而且碰巧是柔软的，因此它们可以用于与人类交互的全新技术。许多这些材料挑战了我们对材料的理解，模糊了材料和结构之间的界限。柔软的、进化的材料对新一代的设备和治疗方法有很大的希望。要确立美国在这一领域的主导地位，并利用潜在的利益促进繁荣和普遍福利，就需要培养一批不同职业阶段和背景的领导者，并为这一新兴的软材料、进化材料领域制定研究议程。由该基金资助的为期一天的研讨会将汇集来自美国各地的知名专家和年轻研究人员，以促进对软物质及其在广泛学科中的应用的理解，并将制定这一新兴领域的研究议程。重点将是开发建模、设计和优化这些新材料所需的工具，这些新材料可以根据外部刺激改变功能和/或形式。研讨会将讨论多材料、超材料、多组分材料和聚合物。汇集这些分支学科的专家构成了发展美国在软进化材料方面的领导地位的重要机会。这次聚会将为学生提供充足的机会，通过指导午餐和与姊妹会议工程科学学会年会相关的NSF项目经理进行一对一的会议，让他们在科学和社会方面与国际知名教授进行互动。因此，讲习班将使各个职业阶段的研究人员能够深入了解在这些领域取得成功的途径。会议的一个具体目标是通过为青年研究者提供科学背景和网络的舒适基础，帮助他们最大限度地提高职业发展机会。讲习班在实现这一目标方面的成功和失败将通过一项由参与者完成的调查来仔细评估。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。

Evolutionary materials that can change their form and function on demand have been at the heart of many technological revolutions, including lasers and fast actuators. A new materials revolution is underway, with evolutionary materials that not only change form and function, but also happen to be soft so that they can be used in entirely new technologies that interface with humans. Many of these materials challenge our understanding of what materials actually are, and blur the boundaries between a material and a structure. Soft, evolutionary materials hold much promise for a new generation of devices and cures. Establishing US dominance in this area and harnessing the potential benefits for prosperity and the general welfare will require developing a set of leaders across career stages and backgrounds, and setting the research agenda for this emerging field of soft, evolutionary materials. The daylong workshop funded by this grant will bring together established experts and young investigators from around the US to advance the understanding of soft matter and its application across a broad range of disciplines, and will develop the research agenda in this emerging field. The focus will be developing the tools needed to model, design with, and optimize these new materials that change function and/or form in response to external stimuli. The workshop will develop an agenda in multi-materials, metamaterials, multi-component materials, and polymers. Bringing together experts across these sub-disciplines constitutes a major opportunity for developing American leadership in soft evolutionary materials. The gathering will afford ample opportunity for students to interact with internationally leading professors both scientifically and socially through a mentoring lunch and opportunities for one-on-one meetings with NSF program managers associated with the sister meeting, the Society of Engineering Science Annual Meeting. The workshop will thus enable investigators across a broad range of career stages to gain insight into pathways to success in these areas. A specific aim is to help young investigators maximize career development opportunities at this conference by providing them comfortable foundations of both scientific background and networking. The successes and failures of the workshop to achieve this goal will be assessed carefully through a survey to be completed by participants.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.