SRS RN: Track 2: Reimagining the Chemical Heartland: Closing the loop on the oil-plastics-recycling nexus to forge a resilient circular economy

SRS RN规划拨款的愿景是探索融合研究，开发一个网络来应对美国墨西哥湾沿岸“化学中心地带”面临的独特挑战，并重新想象如何重新部署大规模的石化基础设施，以培育具有弹性、可持续和循环的经济。美国墨西哥湾沿岸是美国的能源中心，由错综复杂的网络组成，这些网络对美国社会的各个方面都至关重要，但也容易受到气候变化、市场波动、经济因素、地缘政治事件、社会动荡以及其他需要建立可持续区域体系的影响因素的影响。规划赠款期间的目标将是(1)绘制整个墨西哥湾沿岸的材料和能源流动图，(2)通过一系列研讨会和与利益攸关方的访谈，确定基本的科学研究优先事项、技术开发差距、可能的政策干预、劳动力发展需求以及公私伙伴关系的机会，使该地区能够在即将到来的破坏面前重塑自己。德克萨斯农工系统的广泛覆盖范围将被用来在墨西哥湾沿岸建立合作伙伴关系，涵盖学术界、地方政府、行业、非营利组织、社区组织和行业合作伙伴。这项规划工作的目标是开发知识和收集专业知识，以便建立一个团队，进行融合的研究和教育，从而制定路线图，将美国墨西哥湾沿岸地区重塑为后碳经济中新型塑料、基础设施材料和关键材料的创造、加工和回收方面的全球领先者。理解问题、定义可验证的假设、确定科学和工程研究可以产生重大影响的领域、制定计划以促进将科学创新转化为现实世界的应用，以及与利益攸关方建立联系，都需要一个跨学科团队。提倡者已经组建了一个规划小组，召集区域利益攸关方，完善愿景，并确定可以通过定义和建立全面的可持续区域系统研究网络努力而追求的有希望的方向。将探讨的趋同研究主题的例子包括：(1)可持续性和循环经济；(2)能源转型后的德克萨斯州；(3)材料临界性；(4)卡特里娜和哈维之后的复原力；(5)重新想象城市景观。数据和方法将旨在获得对当前驱动因素的详细了解，建模将得到改进，变革理论将在研讨会和利益相关者访谈中定义。规划拨款将为随后的趋同研究奠定基础，以开发可推广的理论和成果，产生可扩展的战略，以环境、经济、社会可持续和公平的方式应对预期的未来城市化和城乡需求，重点放在想象的2050年情景上。德克萨斯州农工系统涵盖11所大学和8个州机构，其中包括一所历史悠久的黑人学院和大学、四所拉美裔服务机构(HSI)和两家新兴的HIS。联合的陆地、海洋和太空赠款任务，服务于大量退伍军人的传统，以及在德克萨斯州所有254个县的存在，使提议团队作为节点小组发挥独特的作用，将利益相关者聚集在一起，定义关键的知识差距，框架可测试的假设，并确定实现更广泛愿景的特定目标。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。

The vision of this SRS RN planning grant is to explore convergent research that develops a network to address the unique challenges faced by the “chemical heartland” on the US Gulf Coast and reimagine how the massive petrochemical infrastructure can be redeployed to foster a resilient, sustainable, and circular economy. The Gulf Coast of the US is the energy hub of the nation, comprising intricate networks that are critical to all aspects of the US society but that are also vulnerable to climate changes, market fluctuations, economic factors, geopolitical events, social disruptions, and other influencers that require the establishment of sustainable regional systems. The goal over the planning grant period will be to (1) map materials and energy flows across the Gulf Coast and (2) through a series of workshops and stakeholder interviews, identify fundamental scientific research priorities, technology development gaps, possible policy interventions, workforce development needs, and opportunities for private public partnerships that will allow the region to reinvent itself in the face of impending disruption. The extensive reach of the Texas A&M System will be leveraged to build partnerships across the Gulf Coast spanning academia, local government, industry, non-profits, community organizations, and industrial partners. The target of this planning exercise is the development of knowledge and collection of expertise that will allow for building a team to conduct convergent research and education leading to the establishment of a roadmap for reimagining the US Gulf Coast region as a global leader in the creation, processing, and recycling of novel plastics, infrastructure materials, and critical materials in a post-carbon economy. Understanding the problem, defining testable hypotheses, identifying areas where science and engineering research can have meaningful impact, charting a plan for facilitating translation of scientific innovation to real world applications, and connecting with stakeholders requires an interdisciplinary team. The proposers have assembled a planning team to convene regional stakeholders, refine the vision, and identify promising directions that can be pursued through defining and establishing a full- scale Sustainable Regional Systems Research Network effort. Examples of convergent research themes that will be explored include: (1) sustainability and circular economy; (2) Texas after the energy transition; (3) materials criticality; (4) resilience after Katrina and Harvey; (5) reimagining urban landscapes. Data and methods will be directed toward gaining detailed understanding of the current drivers, modeling will be advanced, and theories of change will be defined across workshops and through stakeholder interviews. The planning grant will set the stage for subsequent convergent studies to develop generalizable theories and outcomes that produce scalable strategies to be implemented to address anticipated future urbanization and urban-rural needs in ways that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable and equitable, with a focus on imagined 2050 scenarios. The Texas A&M System spans 11 universities and 8 state agencies and includes a Historically Black College and University, four Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and two emerging HSIs. The combined land-, sea-, and space-grant missions, tradition of serving large veteran populations, and presence in all 254 counties of Texas uniquely positions the proposing team to serve as the nodal group to bring together stakeholders and to define key knowledge gaps, frame testable hypotheses, and identify specific objectives to achieve the broader vision.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.