RCN: Mid-Atlantic Research Network for Synthetic Biology

该项目的总体目标是在大西洋中部地区（MD， DE， VA， NC， SC和GA）建立一个研究网络，重点是提高水和农业资源的生产力，可持续性和复原力。这些相互交织的资源具有重要的经济价值（每年120亿美元），并提供粮食和水安全。事实证明，与保护和加强这些资源日益相关的一个研究领域是合成生物学。这一科学研究领域是科学、技术和工程的联合应用，它操纵细胞作为工具，例如，检测或减轻环境中的生物或化学威胁。这种研究已经在大西洋中部地区的学术机构、私营部门和政府实验室中存在。然而，这种研究往往是孤立地进行的，也不是为了解决区域一级的挑战而集体进行的。该项目将区域研究实体纳入一个社区，以确定如何特别是利用合成生物学来加强和保护农业和水资源。除了通过有效地了解和共享专业知识和资源来加速研究外，该项目还在培养STEM劳动力和创业机会，以加速区域经济发展。该项目代表了中大西洋地区协同合成生物学研究网络发展的第一阶段。为了建立一个可发展的、区域性的、以合成生物学为基础的研究网络，该项目通过投资于机构和区域门户网站的开发、区域研究专题讨论会和主题会议，将新的研究小组和可共享资源聚集在一起，以确定如何利用合成生物学来增强和保护农业和水资源。该网络还提供旅行奖励，以促进研究人员之间的新合作研究，以及STEM劳动力和企业发展规划。在所有这些网络形成活动中，学生、实习生、早期职业人士和代表性不足的群体的参与是一个优先事项。该网络的协调工作由一个执行委员会管理，该委员会由整个区域的成员组成。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。

The overall goal of this project is the creation of a research network in the Mid-Atlantic region (MD, DE, VA, NC, SC, and GA), focused on enhancing the productivity, sustainability, and resilience of water and agricultural-based resources. These entwined resources are of economic importance ( $12 billion annually) and provide food and water security. A field of research that is proving increasingly relevant to protecting and enhancing these resources is synthetic biology. This field of scientific study is a joint application of science, technology, and engineering that manipulates cells to be used as tools to, for example, detect or mitigate biological or chemical threats in the environment. Such research already exists in the Mid-Atlantic region at academic institutions, in the private sector, and government laboratories. However, this research often occurs in isolation nor is it drawn collectively toward solving region-level challenges. This project is bringing regional research entities into a community to determine how synthetic biology in particular can be leveraged to enhance and protect agricultural and water resources. Alongside accelerating research by making expertise and resources known and shared efficiently, this project is developing a STEM workforce as well as entrepreneurship opportunities to accelerate regional economic development. This project represents the first phase in the development of a coordinated synthetic biology-enabled research network in the Mid-Atlantic region.To build an evolvable, regional, synthetic biology-based research network, this project is bringing together new groups of investigators and shareable resources by investing in the development of institutional and regional web portals, regional research symposia and theme meetings to determine how synthetic biology can be leveraged to enhance and protect agricultural and water-based resources. The network also provides travel awards to catalyze new collaborative research among investigators, as well as STEM workforce and entrepreneurial development planning. In all of these network-forming activities, the participation of students, trainees, early career individuals, and under-represented groups is a priority. Coordination of this network is managed by an Executive Committee, composed of members from across the region.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.