REU Site: Research experience through collaborative teams in bioprocessing for conversion of waste into products of value

鉴于到2050年地球将养活大约90亿人的预期，关闭生物废物循环是一项关键的全球挑战。生物废物是一种丰富的资源，除了含有水外，还含有一系列营养物质。在生物废物中发现的许多分子可以转化为对社会有价值的产品-化肥、蛋白质、能源、清洁水、药物和先进的生物材料。这个项目促进了科学进步，促进了国家的健康、繁荣和福利，这与NSF的使命是一致的。它通过让一批初出茅庐的研究人员参与旨在将生物废物转化为有价值的产品的研究项目来做到这一点。与此同时，它还培训学生参与者如何进行研究，以及同等重要的是，如何与更广泛的社区沟通这项工作。参与的学生将从技术领域任职人数不足的人群以及目前缺乏研究机会的人群中招募。其结果将是一支训练有素、多样化的科学队伍，这将有助于提供既有利于人类又有利于环境的解决方案。该项目的目标是建立一个新的REU网站，将本科生纳入团队研究项目，重点是将生物废物转化为有价值的产品。拟建的REU网站将为每年10名学生提供为期10周的暑期研究体验，为期3年。REU的学生将与四个不同领域的教员团队配对：1)使用鱼类排泄物进行可持续的水培蔬菜生产；2)将废水中的营养物质升级为浮游动物鱼类饲料；3)将纤维素转化为传染病检测的传感器；以及4)将木质素转化为粘合剂和碳纤维。作为地球上含量最丰富的生物聚合物，纤维素和木质素广泛存在于一系列废弃生物质资源中。通过这个项目，REU学生参与者不仅将获得研究经验，还将通过一系列专业发展机会接受团队合作和沟通最佳实践方面的培训。这些努力将产生两个主要结果：1)一批年轻的研究人员，其中许多来自代表不足的群体，他们对跨学科团队研究有很强的了解；2)向更广泛的研究社区展示这些学生的工作的出版物。该项目由工程教育和中心部门(工程局)和既定的激励竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Closing the loop on biological wastes is a critical global challenge given the expectation that the Earth will support roughly 9 billion people by 2050. Biological wastes are rich resources that contain a range of nutrients as well as water. Many of the molecules found in bio-waste can be transformed into products of value to society – fertilizers, protein, energy, clean water, medicine, and advanced biomaterials. This project promotes scientific progress and advances the health, prosperity, and welfare of the nation, consistent with the NSF’s mission. It does this by engaging cohorts of budding researchers into research projects aimed at converting biological waste materials back into products of value. At the same time, it trains student participants on how to conduct research and, of equal importance, how to communicate that work to the broader community. Participant students will be recruited from populations that are underrepresented in technical fields, as well as populations who currently lack access to research opportunities. The outcome will be a better-trained, diverse scientific workforce, which will help deliver solutions that benefit both people and the environment.The objective of this project is to establish a new REU site that integrates undergraduate students in team-based research projects focused on converting biological wastes into products of value. The proposed REU site will provide a 10-week summer research experience for ten students each year, over a 3 year period. REU students will be paired with faculty teams working in four different areas: 1) use of fish waste for sustainable aquaponics vegetable production, 2) upgrading wastewater nutrients into zooplankton fish feed, 3) transforming cellulose into sensors for infectious disease detection, and 4) conversion of lignin into adhesives and carbon fiber. As the most abundant biopolymers on Earth, cellulose and lignin are widely available in a range of waste biomass resources. REU student participants will not only gain research experience through this project, they will also receive training on teamwork and communication best practices through a suite of professional development opportunities. These efforts will yield two major outcomes: 1) a cohort of young researchers, many from underrepresented groups, who have strong understanding of interdisciplinary team-based research, and 2) publications showcasing the work of these students to the broader research community.This project is jointly funded by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (Directorate for Engineering), and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.