Collaborative engineering awards
will explore new frontiers to advance health care, manufacturing and energy
The National Science Foundation (NSF)
has announced 15 Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) grants
for fiscal year 2012, awarding nearly $30 million to 68 investigators at 26
institutions.
During the next four years, teams of
researchers will pursue transformative, fundamental research in three emerging
areas: flexible electronic systems that can better interface with the body;
design of self-folding materials and structures; and optimizing large-scale
chemical production from photosynthesis. Results from this research promise to
improve human health, engineering design and manufacturing, and energy
sustainability.
Flexible
bioelectronics systems
Four EFRI research teams will pursue
biocompatible electronic systems that offer new capabilities for health care.
Integrating microelectronics with conformable substrates, these flexible
bioelectronics systems will interact seamlessly with the body to advance
medical monitoring, detection and/or treatment in a patient-friendly form.
EFRI BioFlex researchers will
investigate novel devices and flexible materials, interfaces between devices
and biological materials, and approaches to systems integration. Successful new
concepts will also meet the challenges of biocompatability, weight, power
consumption, scalability and cost. The projects aim to transform cancer screening,
wound healing and emergency identification of toxins and bacteria.
"These four projects could lead to
significant improvements in patient care," said Usha Varshney, the
coordinating EFRI program officer for BioFlex. "The teams will also
contribute advanced scalability techniques so that, in the future, flexible
bioelectronics systems can be widely available at low cost."
Origami
design for self-assembling systems
A second set of EFRI research teams will
explore the folding and unfolding of materials and structures to create
self-assembling and multifunctional systems. The eight projects funded will
build on principles and patterns from the art of origami in order to design
structures that can transition between two and three dimensions. In the
process, the researchers will also address challenges in modeling complex designs
and behaviors, in shifting from small to large scales and in working with
active, or "smart," materials.
Active materials can change their shape,
size and/or physical properties with changes in temperature, pressure,
electro-magnetic fields or other aspects of their environment. With such
materials, the EFRI researchers plan to create entire structures and systems
out of single pieces that are flexible, elastic and resilient. With new theory
and understanding, the researchers aim to predict and even program the behavior
and capabilities of the origami designs.
"Engineers, scientists, artists and
mathematicians will pursue profound collaboration to discover how to design
single structures that can collapse and deploy and even change functions as
desired," said Clark Cooper, who coordinated the origami design awards
with fellow program officer Christina Bloebaum. "These eight awards could
initiate a transformation in design and manufacturing, impacting technologies
as diverse as information storage, space structures and medical devices."
Photosynthetic
biorefineries
A third set of EFRI research teams will
investigate the large-scale use of micro-organisms that harness solar energy to
produce chemicals and fuels from carbon dioxide. Some single-celled algae, for
example, use photosynthesis to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide and water
into lipids and hydrocarbons. However, the realization of photosynthetic
"biorefineries" that could accomplish this process on an industrial
scale must first overcome significant challenges, including low productivity,
large-scale feasibility and environmental sustainability.
The researchers will investigate the
optimization of micro-organisms themselves and their growing conditions to
produce easily processed hydrocarbon chemicals in large quantities. The
researchers also will explore ways to obtain a variety of value-added
compounds, whether by using an array of micro-organisms or by combining
biological processes with chemical catalysis. Each project will pursue efficiency
and sustainability in a number of ways, for example, through the use of
wastewater as a low-cost nutrient source for the micro-organisms. All three of
the teams funded will be studying the photosynthetic biorefineries as large and
complex systems.
"Having robust scaling and control
principles using a systems approach is critical to making photosynthetic
biorefineries of the future productive and efficient," said George Antos,
the coordinating program officer for these EFRI projects. "Using photosynthetic
biorefineries as a significant source of chemicals and fuels would not only
reduce greenhouse gases, but it would enhance the nation's energy security, as
these products are currently made mainly from petroleum. Oil from algae is a
reality, however there is much fundamental science that needs to be done before
a true industry is founded, and these EFRI researchers will help make that
happen."
The fiscal 2012 EFRI topics were
developed with strong input from the research community and in close
collaboration between the NSF Directorate for Engineering and the NSF
Directorates for Biological Sciences and Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
NSF also coordinated closely with the Air Force Office of Scientific Research
(AFOSR) and the Department of Energy. AFOSR contributed to the funding of all
origami design projects.
"Through their collaborations, the
EFRI research teams will initiate new lines of inquiry and provide creative and
exciting educational opportunities for young students," said Sohi
Rastegar, director of the EFRI program. Beginning with the fiscal year 2012
awards, EFRI projects must provide more specific plans that enhance
participation of underrepresented groups in the field of engineering and in
engineering research.
Rastegar continued, "If we want to
have a competitive edge for achieving innovative outcomes, it is imperative to
bring to the table ideas from creative individuals from all segments of
society. EFRI teams are committed to working with undergraduate and high school
students and with new partners, such as teachers and museums, to help more
people engage in and appreciate the exciting possibilities from research."
EFRI, established by the NSF Directorate
for Engineering in 2007, seeks high-risk, interdisciplinary research that has
the potential to transform engineering and other fields. The grants demonstrate
the EFRI goal to inspire and enable researchers to expand the limits of our
knowledge
Project
summaries
Summaries of the four EFRI projects on
Flexible Bioelectronics (BioFlex) Systems are found on the EFRI BioFlex Awards
page.
Summaries of the eight EFRI projects on
Origami Design for Integration of Self-assembling Systems for Engineering
Innovation (ODISSEI) are found on the EFRI ODISSEI Awards page.
Summaries of the three EFRI projects on
Photosynthetic Biorefineries (PSBR) are found on the EFRI PSBR Awards page.
-NSF-
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