Georgia Tech Research Corporation

NSF ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTER FOR CELL MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES (CMAT)

COMBUSTION MODEL DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION

CATEGORY I: NEXUS: A CONFLUENCE OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE AI AND SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING WITH SEAMLESS SCALING FROM LOCAL TO NATIONAL RESOURCES -SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING RESEARCH HAS EVOLVED TO INCREASINGLY RELY ON DATA-INTENSIVE AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) DRIVEN METHODOLOGIES. THIS, IN TURN, HAS LED TO MORE COMPLEX WORKFLOWS THAT INVOLVE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE RESOURCES AT DIFFERENT SCALES AND OPERATING IN DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS. THESE GROWING COMPLEXITIES NECESSITATE A FLEXIBLE AND HETEROGENEOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT TRANSFORMS EXISTING, DISJOINTED WORKFLOWS VIA A SEAMLESS AND MORE PRODUCTIVE COMPUTATIONAL ENVIRONMENT THAT IS EASIER AND MORE INTUITIVE TO USE. NEXUS PROVIDES SUCH A CRITICAL NATIONAL RESOURCE TO THE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING RESEARCH COMMUNITY; IT SERVES BOTH AS A STANDALONE PLATFORM AND AS A GATEWAY TO EFFECTIVELY UTILIZING OTHER NATIONAL RESOURCES, SIGNIFICANTLY ACCELERATING AI-DRIVEN SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. NEXUS WILL ADVANCE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ADVANTAGE U.S.-BASED RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY ENTERPRISES IN DIVERSE AREAS OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, ENABLING BREAKTHROUGH DISCOVERIES, INCREASING ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS, AND ADVANCING HUMAN HEALTH. NEXUS IS A NEXT-GENERATION, NATIONAL-SCALE COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCE INTEGRATING CUTTING-EDGE HETEROGENEOUS HARDWARE, AI-ACCELERATED COMPUTING, AND ADVANCED SOFTWARE SERVICES TO UNIFY SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING RESEARCH WORKFLOWS. LED BY THE GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR SUPERCOMPUTING APPLICATIONS (NCSA) AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, NEXUS PROVIDES A SEAMLESS AND SCALABLE COMPUTATIONAL ENVIRONMENT THAT BRIDGES LOCAL AND NATIONAL RESOURCES. THE NEXUS COMPUTATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE INCORPORATES SUBSTANTIAL CPU AND GPU RESOURCES THAT DELIVER 14.5 PETAFLOPS OF PEAK DOUBLE-PRECISION CALCULATIONS AND OVER 400 PETAFLOPS OF PEAK AI-FOCUSED, REDUCED-PRECISION CALCULATIONS. THIS COMPUTING CAPABILITY IS AUGMENTED BY HIGH-SPEED MEMORY, A 10-PETABYTE ALL-FLASH FILE SYSTEM, AND A NEXT-GENERATION HIGH-SPEED NETWORK BASED ON INFINIBAND AND SOCKET DIRECT TECHNOLOGIES. THIS INFRASTRUCTURE IS INTEGRATED WITH A NOVEL SOFTWARE PLATFORM INCORPORATING THE NEXUS COMPUTING INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN RESEARCHERS? LOCAL ENVIRONMENTS, ALLOWING THEM TO HARNESS POWERFUL COMPUTATIONAL CAPABILITIES WITHOUT DISRUPTING THEIR WORKFLOWS. THE NEXUS PLATFORM WILL ALSO FACILITATE FEDERATED RESOURCE SHARING, ENABLING INTEROPERABILITY WITH NATIONAL CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS, INCLUDING THE NSF-FUNDED DELTA AND DELTAAI SYSTEMS AT NCSA. FINALLY, IT SUPPORTS MULTI-SCALE, HETEROGENEOUS COMPUTING, GIVING RESEARCHERS ACCESS TO DIVERSE COMPUTATIONAL ARCHITECTURES THROUGH A UNIFIED INTERFACE, AN ESSENTIAL CAPABILITY FOR AI-DRIVEN RESEARCH AND COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCES THAT REQUIRE TAILORED, SCALABLE COMPUTING POWER. REGIONAL ENGAGEMENTS, TRAINING WORKSHOPS, STUDENT AND FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, AND COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS WILL BE DEVELOPED TO LEVERAGE INNOVATIVE FEATURES OF THE NEXUS RESOURCE FOR SUPPORTING AND EXPANDING THE NATION?S GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE STEM WORKFORCE EQUIPPED WITH ESSENTIAL AI AND HPC SKILLS. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO FUND RESEARCH IN SUPPORT OF BTO IN THE AMOUNT OF 6,816,989 ON CONTRACT HR0011-19-2-0008.

CENTER FOR UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROL OF ACID GAS-INDUCED EVOLUTION OF MATERIALS FOR ENERGY (UNCAGE-ME)

GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH CORPORATION; ''CONSORTIUM FOR ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION (ETI);'' *NEW AWARD

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP)

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP)

CCI: CENTER FOR CHEMICAL EVOLUTION

AI INSTITUTE FOR COLLABORATIVE ASSISTANCE AND RESPONSIVE INTERACTION FOR NETWORKED GROUPS (AI-CARING)

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP)

CENTER FOR CHEMICAL INNOVATION: CENTER FOR CHEMICAL EVOLUTION

AI INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCES IN OPTIMIZATION

AI INSTITUTE FOR ADULT LEARNING AND ONLINE EDUCATION (ALOE) -BASED ON DECADES OF STUDY OF HUMAN LEARNING, IT IS KNOWN THAT MUCH OF HUMAN LEARNING IS MEDIATED BY OTHERS (GUIDED BY TEACHERS), IS A SOCIAL/COLLABORATIVE PROCESS, AND USES A RANGE OF COGNITIVE STRATEGIES. CHILDHOOD AND ADULT LEARNING LIE ON A SPECTRUM OF COGNITIVE ABILITIES. TWO CHARACTERISTICS THAT DISTINGUISH ADULT LEARNING FROM CHILDHOOD LEARNING ARE FIRST, WHILE MUCH OF K-12 LEARNING PERTAINS TO CLOSED, WELL-DEFINED PROBLEMS WITH CLEAR ANSWERS, ADULT LEARNING - ESPECIALLY ADULT LEARNING IN THE WORKPLACE - OFTEN ADDRESSES OPEN-ENDED, ILL-DEFINED PROBLEMS THAT MAY HAVE NO CLEAR ANSWER OR THAT MAY ADMIT MULTIPLE ANSWERS. SECOND, WHILE MOST K-12 LEARNING IS GENERAL-PURPOSE AND TEACHER-GUIDED, ADULT LEARNING (ESPECIALLY IN THE WORKPLACE) IS TASK-SPECIFIC AND SELF-DIRECTED, HENCE THE PROLIFERATION OF EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OFTEN ONLINE) IN SUPPORT OF ADULT LEARNING. GEORGIA RESEARCH ALLIANCE (GRA) WILL ESTABLISH A NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INSTITUTE TITLED ?NSF AI INSTITUTE FOR ADULT LEARNING AND ONLINE EDUCATION (ALOE)?, THE GOAL OF WHICH IS TO MAKE EDUCATION MORE EQUITABLE THROUGH ENHANCED AVAILABILITY, GREATER AFFORDABILITY, AND ENHANCED POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS. ENHANCED AVAILABILITY IS TO BE ACHIEVED THROUGH THE USE OF ONLINE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR BLENDED LEARNING; GREATER AFFORDABILITY IS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH LOW-COST VIRTUAL TEACHING ASSISTANTS THAT AMPLIFY TEACHERS? REACH, WHILE ENHANCED POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS IS TO BE ACHIEVED THROUGH COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY VIRTUAL TEACHING ASSISTANTS. THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSFORMATIVE AI-DRIVEN MODELS OF ONLINE ADULT LEARNING THAT BLEND HIGHER AND CONTINUING EDUCATION TO RADICALLY IMPROVE HUMAN LEARNING. A COMPREHENSIVE AND WELL-ORGANIZED PLAN IS PROPOSED THAT USES AI SIMULTANEOUSLY TO TRANSFORM ONLINE ADULT LEARNING AND TO DRIVE FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH IN AI. GRA IS A 30-YEAR-OLD PRIVATE, NONPROFIT CORPORATION THAT COLLABORATES WITH STATE GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AND UNIVERSITY SYSTEM TO ADVANCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY THAT GENERATES DIRECT ECONOMIC BENEFITS. THE ALOE AI INSTITUTE INVOLVES A LARGE INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH TEAM THAT INCLUDES TWO NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS (GEORGIA RESEARCH ALLIANCE, IMS GLOBAL), THREE INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES (BOEING, IBM, WILEY) AND SEVEN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS (ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, DREXEL UNIVERSITY, GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM OF GEORGIA, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO). ADDITIONALLY, ACCENTURE, THE MULTINATIONAL CONSULTING COMPANY, IS PARTNERING WITH NSF TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THE INSTITUTE. OVERALL, THE GOALS OF THE PROJECT ARE CONSISTENT WITH NSF AI INSTITUTES? VISION TO ADVANCE FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH, CONDUCT USE-INSPIRED RESEARCH, AND GROW THE NEXT GENERATION OF DIVERSE TALENT BY LEVERAGING MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS. WITH REGARD TO FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH, MAJOR SYNERGISTIC CONTRIBUTIONS ARE ANTICIPATED IN FOUR AREAS:(I) COGNITIVELY-GROUNDED AI (AI VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS THAT ARE GROUNDED IN COGNITIVE THEORIES OF ADULT LEARNING SUCH AS ACTIVE LEARNING); (II) AI-BASED PERSONALIZATION AT SCALE (COLLECTION OF LEARNING DATA FROM MILLIONS OF ADULT LEARNERS AND DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL MACHINE LEARNING AND NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES FOR ANALYZING THE DATA); (III) HUMAN-AI COLLABORATION: DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL TECHNIQUES FOR INTERACTIVE VISUALIZATION THAT ENABLES TEACHERS AND LEARNERS TO BUILD A MUTUAL THEORY OF MIND; (IV) RESPONSIBLE AI: DISCOVERY OF PRINCIPLES FOR DESIGNING SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEMS FOR ONLINE ADULT EDUCATION IN WHICH AI AGENTS WORK ETHICALLY TO BENEFIT HUMANS. WITH REGARD TO USE-INSPIRED RESEARCH, RESPONSIBLE FUNDAMENTAL AI RESEARCH GROUNDED IN THEORIES OF HUMAN COGNITION AND LEARNING WILL BE CONDUCTED. AT LEAST TWO DISTINCT THRUSTS ARE IN PLACE: (I) DEVELOPMENT OF AI TEACHING AND LEARNING ASSISTANTS THAT ENHANCE COGNITIVE, TEACHER AND SOCIAL PRESENCE IN ONLINE ADULT LEARNING TO HELP MAKE IT EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE; (II) LEARNING ANALYTICS FOR PERSONALIZATION OF LARGE-SCALE ONLINE LEARNING FOR ADULT EDUCATION. THE METHODOLOGY EMPLOYED, LEARNING ENGINEERING, IS AN ITERATIVE DESIGN APPROACH THAT BRINGS THE RIGOR OF ENGINEERING TO THE DISCIPLINE OF EDUCATION. BEGINNING WITH HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN OF AI TECHNOLOGIES, WHERE THE HUMAN COULD BE A LEARNER, A TEACHER, OR A DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER IN THE LEARNING PROCESS, THE PROCESS CONTINUES WITH THE DEPLOYMENT OF AI TECHNOLOGIES AND COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF LARGE-SCALE DATA ABOUT LEARNERS AND LEARNING. THE PROCESS THEN CONTINUES TO THE ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING BEHAVIORS AND OUTCOMES FOLLOWED BY THE REFINEMENT OF HUMAN-CENTERED AI TECHNOLOGIES. A DETAILED PLAN IS PROVIDED FOR ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT ON BOTH LEARNING AND TEACHING THROUGH A MIXED METHODS APPROACH. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WILL BE USED TO EVALUATE HOW THE USE OF AI TECHNOLOGIES FACILITATES AND IMPACTS LEARNING. QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES WILL BE CARRIED OUT TO COMPARE LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY OF ONLINE VERSUS IN-PERSON CLASSES. A PLAN FOR EVALUATION OF THE PROCESS OF PROJECT EXECUTION IS TO BE OVERSEEN BY AN EXPERIENCED EVALUATOR WHO WILL EMPLOY A VALUES-ENGAGED, EDUCATIVE APPROACH WHICH SEEKS TO CAPTURE THE VIEWPOINTS, INTERESTS, AND VALUES OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING THOSE OFTEN UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE EVALUATION CONTEXT. THE NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INSTITUTES PROGRAM IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT TO ESTABLISH INSTITUTE-SCALE AI RESEARCH WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LONG-TERM PAYOFFS IN AI. IN ADDITION TO ADVANCING FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH AND CONDUCTING USE-INSPIRED RESEARCH, THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS EFFORTS TO GROW THE NEXT GENERATION OF AI TALENT, ENHANCE MULTIDISCIPLINARY AI RESEARCH, LEVERAGE MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS AND PROVIDE A NEXUS POINT FOR COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS IN AI RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 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.

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP) -THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GRFP) IS A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE FEDERAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. GRFP HELPS ENSURE THE QUALITY, VITALITY, AND STRENGTH OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING WORKFORCE OF THE UNITED STATES. THE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES AND SUPPORTS OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENTS WHO ARE PURSUING RESEARCH-BASED MASTER'S AND DOCTORAL DEGREES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM), INCLUDING STEM EDUCATION. GRFP PROVIDES THREE YEARS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE GRADUATE EDUCATION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE DEMONSTRATED THEIR POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS IN STEM. THIS AWARD SUPPORTS THE NSF GRADUATE FELLOWS PURSUING GRADUATE EDUCATION AT THIS AWARDEE INSTITUTION. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH CORPORATION

THE KEY OBJECTIVE OF THE JANUS IS TO DEVELOP THE CAPABILITY TO TEST THE ADVANCED HIGH-POWER ELECTRIC PROPULSION (EP) TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE CRITICAL TO NASA S VISION FOR FUTURE HUMAN EXPLORATION.

CONSORTIUM FOR ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION 2.0 IS TO DIRECT THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND INNOVATION THAT ENABLE THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT SUPPORT THE NNSA DNN R&D, TO TRAIN THE NEXT-GENERATION OF RESEARCHERS, AND TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY BASIC RESEARCH AND NATIONAL LABORATORIES’ MISSION-SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS.

GEORGIA MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP

GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH CORPORATION

MID-SCALE RI-1 (M1:IP): ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE AND CHEMISTRY MEASUREMENT NETWORK (ASCENT)

KEENELAND: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR EXPERIMENTAL COMPUTING

PILOT-SCALE LABORATORY FOR CARBON-NEUTRAL ENERGY SOLUTIONS.

NANO-TAILORED ADVANCED CARBON FIBERS

VERTICAL LIFT RESEARCH CENTER OF EXCELLENCE - GA TECH

INFLUENZA VACCINATION USING A MICRONEEDLE PATCH

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

IN THIS 5-YEAR RESEARCH PROGRAM, THE PRINCIPAL GOALS OF THE TC-COE AND THE PROPOSED SYNTHETIC, PHYSICAL, AND SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES ARE: (1) TO DEFINE THE STRUCTURE, BONDING, AND REACTIVITY OF PLUTONIUM HYDRIDE COMPLEXES, AND (2) TO DISENTANGLE THE EFFECTS OF MEDIA, AUTORADIOLYTIC PROCESSES, AND COORDINATION CHEMISTRY IN CONTROLLING THE KINETICS AND THERMOCHEMISTRY OF AMERICIUM REDOX REACTIONS SUPPORTED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL DETECTOR AND SPECTROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTATION. THESE GOALS SEEK TO DEFINE THE FUNDAMENTAL CRITERIA NECESSARY TO ADDRESS LONG-STANDING CHALLENGES IN UNDERSTANDING AND PREDICTING THE BEHAVIOR OF PUHX AND IN PREPARING PURE AMERICIUM FROM A VARIETY OF FEEDSTOCKS. THESE TWO RESEARCH GOALS ARE HIGHLY SYNERGISTIC (FIG. 1): THE REQUISITE INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL AS METHODOLOGIES ARE RELATED AND CAN ONLY BE ADDRESSED BY THE PROPOSED, TIGHTLY-KNIT MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM.

MRSEC: THE GEORGIA TECH LABORATORY FOR NEW ELECTRONIC MATERIALS

NSF I-CORPS HUB (TRACK 1): SOUTHEAST REGION -THE BROADER IMPACT/COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL OF THIS I-CORPS HUBS PROJECT IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TRANSFORMATIVE ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM THAT ENHANCES THE NATION'S ECONOMIC AND INDUSTRIAL COMPETITIVENESS THROUGH FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND DEEP TECHNOLOGY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. SPANNING FOUR SOUTHERN STATES WITH SIGNIFICANT DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY, THE HUB ADDRESSES REGIONAL INEQUITIES IN ACCESS TO CAPITAL, EXPERIENCED ENTREPRENEURS, MENTORS, AND ADVISORS FOR DEEP TECHNOLOGY RESEARCHERS. BY LEVERAGING COLLECTIVE STRENGTHS OF PARTNER INSTITUTIONS WITH EXTENSIVE BACKGROUNDS IN RESEARCH, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND INNOVATION, THE PROJECT AIMS TO CATALYZE THE ECOSYSTEM THROUGH MITIGATING TECHNOLOGICAL, EXPERTISE, AND CAPITAL DISPARITIES. THE HUB WILL DEPLOY A REGIONAL I-CORPS INFRASTRUCTURE WITH FULL-TIME ACCESS TO ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING AT SCALE, ASSISTING RESEARCHERS IN APPLYING CUSTOMER DISCOVERY PRINCIPLES TO TECHNOLOGY TRANSLATION. THIS PROJECT SERVES THE NATIONAL INTEREST BY PROMOTING INCREASED PARTICIPATION IN NATIONAL I-CORPS PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE REGION, CULMINATING IN AN ECOSYSTEM THAT IS DIVERSE, INCLUSIVE, AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REGION'S POPULATION. THE ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES INCLUDE A COMMERCIALIZATION ROADMAP WITH ENHANCED ACADEMIA-INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS, EQUITABLE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES, AND A SUSTAINABLE INCREASE IN DIVERSITY ACROSS THE SOUTH'S INNOVATION LANDSCAPE. BY FOCUSING ON INCREASING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SOUTHERN COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF STARTUPS AND TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION, THE PROJECT SEEKS TO INCREASE INTEREST IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH (STEM) FIELDS, ESPECIALLY AMONG UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. THIS I-CORPS HUBS PROJECT IS BASED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE REGIONAL INNOVATION NETWORK THAT COMBINES THE STRENGTHS OF DIVERSE ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS AND HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. THE PROJECT'S GOAL IS TO CREATE A SCALABLE MODEL FOR TRANSLATING RESEARCH INTO COMMERCIAL VENTURES WITH SOCIETAL BENEFITS, INCLUDING EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED ENTREPRENEURS. THE APPROACH INVOLVES INTEGRATING BEST PRACTICES FROM EXISTING I-CORPS HUBS PROGRAMS AND DEVELOPING TAILORED INITIATIVES FOR UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. KEY METHODS INCLUDE COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH, COMMERCIALIZATION ACTIVITIES, AND SPECIALIZED TRAINING PROGRAMS. THE PROJECT WILL ACTIVELY MONITOR SUCCESS METRICS FOR ALL HUB ACTIVITIES. THIS APPROACH EXTENDS BEYOND TRADITIONAL INNOVATION SUPPORT, INCORPORATING RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF DIFFERING ENVIRONMENTS ON PARTICIPATION. THE PROJECT AIMS TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INNOVATION POLICY, AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THE GOAL IS TO POSITIVELY IMPACT THE REGION?S ECONOMY FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW BUSINESSES AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT HAVE BENEFITTED FROM THE HUB?S I-CORPS TRAINING. THE IMPERATIVE TO DIVERSIFY THE REGION'S ECONOMIC BASE SERVES AS A STRONG MOTIVATOR, POTENTIALLY INCREASING INTEREST IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH (STEM) FIELDS AND YIELDING EQUITABLE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS THE SOUTH'S INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

IMMOBILIZED MOLECULAR CATALYSTS FROM BASIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES TO CASCADE REACTIONS

VERTICAL LIFT RESEARCH CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

SYNAPTIC FUNCTION: EFFECTS OF THE NERVE INJURY, REPAIR, AND ALTERED ACTIVITY

NNCI: SOUTHEASTERN NANOTECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE CORRIDOR (SENIC)

NOVEL CENTRIFUGAL LVAD WITH WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER AND ANTITHROMBOTIC SLIC COATING

"AIR FORCE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE ON BIO-NANO-ENABLED INORGANIC/ORGANIC NANOSTRUCTURES AND IMPROVED COGNITION (BIONIC)"

CRITICAL MINERALS IN ATLANTIC SEABOARD PLAIN THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THE CORE-CM INITIATIVE, “REGIONAL STUDY OF EASTERN COASTAL AREA AND PUERTO RICO”. THE OBJECTIVES ARE TO SURVEY, ASSESS, AND CHARACTERIZE THE CRITICAL MINERAL RESOURCES IN THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD PLAIN (REGION 1), WITH A FOCUS ON SEDIMENTARY MINERALS (E.G., KAOLIN, BAUXITE, HEAVY MINERALS, PHOSPHATE), EXISTING MINING AND PROCESSING RESIDUES, AS WELL AS COAL COMBUSTION RESIDUES.

INFORMATICS-DRIVEN DESIGN OF RESILIENT AND DEPLOYMERIZABLE POLYMERS

(MURI-09) "DISTRIBUTED LEARNING AND INFORMATION DYNAMICS IN NETWORKED AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS"

NNCI: SOUTHEASTERN NANOTECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE CORRIDOR (SENIC)

FLAP: FAST, LEXICOGRAPHIC AGILE PERCEPTION INTEGRATES DECISION AND CONTROL IN A SPIKE-RESOLVED, SENSORIMOTOR PROGRAM

LEVERAGING A NEW THEORETICAL PARADIGM TO ENHANCE INTERFACIAL THERMAL TRANSPORT IN WIDE BANDGAP POWER ELECTRONICS

TITLE IS THE GEORGIA TECH CENTER FOR RIBOSOME ADAPTATION AND EVOLUTION IN RESPONSE TO CAN #NNH08Z

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND PROTOTYPING INTEGRATED TO UNLOCK POTENTIAL (AMP-IT-UP)

TAS:: 57 3600 ::TAS 'MURI17: CROSS-DISCIPLINARY ELECTRONIC-IONIC RESEARCH ENABLING BIOLOGICALLY REALISTIC AUTONOMOUS LEARNING'

BOTNET ATTRIBUTION AND REMOVAL: FROM AXIOMS TO THEORIES TO PRACTICE

UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTER

CHARACTERIZATION OF PURIFIED MYOCILIN: GLAUCOMA AS A PROTEIN MISFOLDING DISEASE

EPITAXIAL MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIALS AND APPLICATIONS: REVOLUTIONARY EPITAXIAL SOLUTIONS CREATING A PLATFORM FOR NEW GENERATION OF MILITARY APPLICATIO

VERTICAL LIFT RESEARCH CENTER OF EXCELLENCE - GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH CORP

FAST AND ACCURATE FABRICATION OF 3-D PHOTONIC AND PHONONIC CRYSTALS BY OPTICAL PATTERNING AND CHEMICAL MODIFICATION

MURI: NEURO-INSPIRED ADAPTIVE PERCEPTION AND CONTROL FOR AGILE MOBILITY OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IN UNCERTAIN AND HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS

FORMAL FOUNDATIONS OF ALGORITHMIC MATTER AND EMERGENT COMPUTATION

IDEAS LAB: CFIRE: META-PURE: END-USE-DRIVEN CELL-FREE MODULES -META-PURE: END-USE-DRIVEN CELL-FREE MODULES CELL-FREE SYSTEMS REDUCE BIOLOGY TO ITS MOST BASIC PARTS, SIMPLIFYING THE COMPLEXITY OF TRADITIONAL BIOMANUFACTURING. HOWEVER, SCIENTISTS STILL DO NOT HAVE AN EFFICIENT WAY TO ?PLUG-AND-PLAY? THESE INDIVIDUAL CELL-FREE PIECES. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THIS GAP BY DEVELOPING A MODULAR, STANDARDIZED PLATFORM FOR CELL-FREE BIOPROCESSING. INSTEAD OF CUSTOM, ONE-OFF DESIGNS, THE PROJECT CREATES EIGHT REUSABLE MODULES COVERING ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS LIKE ENERGY GENERATION AND PROTEIN EXPRESSION. THESE ?READY-TO-USE? MODULES MAKE IT EASIER TO MIX AND MATCH CAPABILITIES, ALLOWING FOR FASTER, MORE EFFICIENT PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. THE TEAM WILL DEMONSTRATE HOW MODULAR DESIGN AND STANDARDIZED KITS CAN REDUCE COSTS, IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY, AND BOOST PRODUCTIVITY ACROSS THREE MARKET-RELEVANT TARGETS. IN DOING SO, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO MAKE CELL-FREE TECHNOLOGIES BROADLY AVAILABLE AND EXPAND THE USE OF CELL-FREE TECHNOLOGIES ACROSS THE U.S. BIOECONOMY. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO CULTIVATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY TALENT THROUGH A DYNAMIC, CROSS-SECTOR TEAM OF POSTDOCS AND GRADUATE STUDENTS?UNITING EXPERTISE FROM INDUSTRY, ACADEMIA, AND GOVERNMENT?TO PIONEER AND SCALE THE FUTURE OF CELL-FREE BIOMANUFACTURING. THE PROJECT PIONEERS A MODULAR, STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK TO ADDRESS BOTTLENECKS FOR SCALING CELL-FREE BIOPROCESSING. THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP, CHARACTERIZE, AND INTEGRATE EIGHT DISTINCT FUNCTIONAL MODULES COMMON ACROSS CELL-FREE SYSTEMS: THREE FOR ENERGY GENERATION, THREE FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF VALUABLE PRODUCTS, AND TWO FOR TRANSCRIPTION?TRANSLATION. THESE MODULES SPAN VARYING LEVELS OF COMPLEXITY?FROM INDIVIDUAL PURIFIED ENZYMES TO ENZYME CASCADES, PURIFIED RECOMBINANT ELEMENTS (PURE), AND LYSATE-BASED SYSTEMS?ENCOMPASSING THE FULL SPECTRUM OF CELL-FREE BIOTECHNOLOGIES. THIS MODULARITY ALLOWS INNOVATION BEYOND STANDALONE PURE TECHNOLOGIES; IT COMPRISES MODULES WITH DEFINED CAPABILITIES, EACH BUILT AND OPTIMIZED INDEPENDENTLY, THEN INTEGRATED TO ACHIEVE MORE COMPLEX AND AMBITIOUS SYNTHESIS GOALS. THE PROJECT ALSO INCORPORATES ADVANCED ANALYTICAL TOOLS AND ESTABLISHES NEW STANDARDS AND METRICS TO RIGOROUSLY EVALUATE MODULE PERFORMANCE AND COMPATIBILITY, WHICH WILL RESULT IN A SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES RELIABLE SYNTHESIS. FURTHER, THE SYSTEM WILL BE VALIDATED THROUGH THE SYNTHESIS OF THREE INDUSTRIALLY RELEVANT TARGETS: THE VALUABLE SMALL MOLECULE SANTALENE; THE GAMS PROTEIN, WHICH ENHANCES CELL-FREE PROTEIN EXPRESSION; AND PRODUCTION OF A BACTERIOPHAGE. THESE DEMONSTRATIONS WILL SHOW HOW THE SYSTEM CAN BE USED FOR A VARIED OF USE CASES. THIS PROJECT WILL ACCELERATE INNOVATION, ENHANCE REPRODUCIBILITY, AND DEMONSTRATE A REPLICABLE FRAMEWORK THAT ENABLES FLEXIBLE, COST-EFFECTIVE, AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE BIO-BASED PRODUCTION PLATFORMS ACROSS DIVERSE APPLICATIONS TO SUPPORT SCALABLE BIOMANUFACTURING AND STRENGTHEN THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE U.S. BIOECONOMY. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

MOLECULAR PHOTONICS: HIGH-SPEED MATERIALS FOR OPTICAL SIGNAL PROCESSING

TAS::57 3600::TAS"BIOPAINTS: BIO-ENABLED PARTICLE ADHERENTS FOR INTERROGATIVE SPECTROSCOPY"

MULTIPLE YEAR AWARD WITH INCREMENTAL FUNDING FOR YEARS ONE TO FIVE. THIS PROPOSAL IS ENTITLED RADIATION EFFECTS ON VOLATILES AND EXPLORATION OF ASTEROIDS AND LUNAR SURFACES REVEALS. THIS IS AWARDED IN RESPONSE TO COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NOTICE CAN NO. NNH16ZDA009C NASA SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION RESEARCH VIRTUAL INSTITUTE SSERVI CYCLE THREE 3. THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR IS DR. THOMAS M. ORLANDO WITH THE GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH CORPORATION GIT. PROJECT SUMMARY: RECENT SPACE EXPLORATION MISSIONS HAVE REVEALED VOLATILE DEPOSITS ON SEVERAL SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS INCLUDING THE MOON MARS MERCURY AND NEAR EARTH ASTEROIDS (NEAS). MOST OF THESE AIRLESS I.E. ZERO-ATMOSPHERE OBJECTS ARE UNDER CONSIDERATION BY NASA AS DESTINATIONS FOR FUTURE HUMAN EXPLORATION. THESE OBJECTS ARE BOMBARDED BY RADIATION (I.E. SOLAR WIND GALACTIC AND SOLAR COSMIC RAYS) AND THE INTERACTION OF RADIATION WITH THEIR SURFACES CAN ALTER AND EVEN PRODUCE VOLATILES. MORE IMPORTANTLY THE CONSTANT RADIATION ASSAULT POSES OBVIOUS LIFE-THREATENING AND PROGRAM-LIMITING HEALTH RISKS. AS A MEMBER OF THE SSERVI THE REVEALS TEAM WILL EXPLORE THE FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED ASPECTS CORRELATED WITH RADIATION PROCESSING OF NATURAL REGOLITH AND MAN-MADE COMPOSITE MATERIALS. THE REVEALS TEAM WILL FOCUS ON TWO INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH THEMES EACH COMPRISED OF MULTIPLE TASKS THAT WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN AN INTEGRATED SYSTEMS APPROACH.THEME 1 INTERACTION OF RADIATION AND MICROMETEORITES WITH SURFACE OF AIRLESS BODIES THE SOLAR WIND INTERACTION WITH REGOLITH HAS BEEN IMPLICATED AS A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF VOLATILES (I.E. WATER) THAT CAN BE TRAPPED AND SEQUESTERED IN THE NEAR SURFACE REGION OF THE MOON AND POSSIBLY DEMOS PHOBOS AND NEAS. THE RELEVANT PHYSICAL PROCESSES AND DRIVING INTERACTIONS ARE UNCLEAR. THEREFORE THEME 1 WILL FOCUS ON THREE TASKS: 1) EXAMINE SOLAR WIND MICROMETEORITE PROCESSING OF AIRLESS BODY SURFACES AND DUST IRRADIATION SOURCES 2 DEVELOP MOLECULAR MODELS DESCRIBING RADIATION INDUCED TRANSFORMATION OF REGOLITH 3 EXAMINE THE ROLE OF CHARGING AND ELECTRIC FIELDS ON VOLATILE FORMATION/RELEASE AND 4) TEST SOLAR COLLECTION PANELS AS AN IN SITU RESOURCE UTILIZATION STRATEGY OF PRODUCING WATER FROM REGOLITHTHEME 2 DEVELOPING AND TESTING NEW MATERIALS FOR IMPROVED SAFETY AND HEALTH DURING HUMAN EXPLORATION HUMAN EXPLORATION MISSIONS BEYOND NEAR EARTH ORBIT CANNOT OCCUR WITHOUT A VALIDATED APPROACH TO ADDRESSING ASTRONAUT HEALTH RISKS DUE TO RADIATION. THIS REQUIRES CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SPACE RADIATION ENVIRONMENT EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION OF RADIATION PROTECTION METHODOLOGIES AND THE ABILITY TO PREDICT AND MONITOR THE RADIATION ABSORBED BY ASTRONAUTS ON A REAL-TIME AND MISSION-INTEGRATED BASIS. AS OF 2016 THE DEEP-SPACE RADIATION ENVIRONMENT IS REASONABLY CHARACTERIZED BUT RADIATION PROTECTION MATERIALS FOR HUMAN HABITATS AND SPACE-SUITS HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY DEVELOPED AND CHARACTERIZED AND REAL-TIME RADIATION MONITORS ARE IN THEIR INFANCY. FOR EXAMPLE REAL-TIME AREA RADIATION MONITORS ARE CURRENTLY UTILIZED ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION WITH INCONSISTENT RESULTS AND THEY ARE NOT INTEGRATED WITH SPACE-SUITS. DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG FLEXIBLE AND RADIATION PROTECTIVE MATERIAL IS ALSO LAGGING. THEREFORE THEME 2 WILL FOCUS ON ASSESSING AND MITIGATING HUMAN RADIATION RISKS BY 1 TESTING REGOLITH AS A POTENTIAL SHIELDING MATERIAL 2) DEVELOPING CHARACTERIZING AND TESTING NOVEL COMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR SUPERIOR MECHANICAL THERMAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES 3 INTEGRATING THE BEST POLYMER COMPOSITES AS MODIFICATION TO EXISTING SPACE-SUITS AND 4 DEVELOPING REAL-TIME LOW WEIGHT AND LOW POWER CONSUMPTION RADIATION MONITORING DEVICES USING GRAPHENE AND OTHER 2D MATERIALS.

ENGINE OF INNOVATION: HOW COMPARTMENTALIZATION DRIVES EVOLUTION OF NOVELTY AND.EFFICIENCY ACROSS SCALES

NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH - REHABILITATION ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTERS

INTERPLAY OF INHERENT PROMISCUITY AND SPECIFICITY IN PROTEIN BIOCHEMICAL FUNCTION WITH APPLICATIONS TO DRUG DISCOVERY AND EXOME ANALYSIS

CENTER FOR LUNAR ENVIRONMENT AND VOLATILE EXPLORATION RESEARCH (CLEVER)

(MURI-05) DYNAMIC FLIGHT MANEUVERING USING VIRTUAL CONTROL SURFACES GENERATED BY TRAPPED VORTICITY

ATLANTIC PEDIATRIC DEVICE CONSORTIUM

MULTIPLE YEAR AWARD AND INCREMENTAL FUNDING FOR YEARS ONE TO THREE. THIS PROPOSAL IS ENTITLED "RELIVING THE PAST: EXPERIMENTAL EVOLUTION OF MAJOR TRANSITIONS IN THE HISTORY OF LIFE - GIT." THIS IS AWARDED IN RESPONSE TO COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NOTICE (CAN) NO. NNH13ZDA017C NASA ASTROBIOLOGY INSTITUTE CYCLE SEVEN (7). THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR IS DR. RAPHAEL F. ROSENZWEIG WITH GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH CORPORATION (GIT). PROJECT SUMMARY: TO ILLUMINATE THE LAWS THAT PRODUCE DARWIN'S "TANGLED BANK" REMAINS ONE OF BIOLOGY'S GRAND CHALLENGES ONE THAT REQUIRES UNDERSTANDING HOW DIFFERENCES AMOUNT FORMS ARE SELECTED FOR AND HOW INTERDEPENDENCE AMOUNT FORMS IS ENFORCED. IN NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS MEETING THIS CHALLENGE IS COMPLICATED BY THE FACT THAT SELECTION PRESSURES OFTEN VARY WIDELY OVER SPACE AND THROUGH TIME. LABORATORY EVOLUTION EXPERIMENTS WITH MICROBIAL POPULATION OFFER AN ATTRACTIVE ALTERNATIVE BY WHICH TO STUDY UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS BOTH THE DYNAMIC INTERPLAY BETWEEN GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE AND THE INTERACTIONS AMONG PHENOTYPES IN SIMPLE COMMUNITIES. INDEED BECAUSE THE PRINCIPAL ACTORS IN THE FIRST 2.5 BILLION YEARS OF LIFE'S DRAMA WERE EXCLUSIVELY MICROBES WE ARE OBLIGATED TO USE THESE FORMS TO UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF LIFE'S TRANSITIONS FROM SIMPLE AUTOCATALYTIC UNITS TO SELF-ORGANIZING SELF-REPLICATING ENERGY TRANSDUCTION SYSTEMS THAT RANGE IN COMPLEXITY FROM SINGLE CELLS TO ECOSYSTEMS. OUR TEAM IS RESPONDING TO NAI CAN 7 WITH A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PROPOSAL TO ADDRESS: WHAT FORCES BRING ABOUT MAJOR TRANSITIONS IN THE EVOLUTION OF BIO-COMPLEXITY? OUR PROGRAM AIMS TO MEET THE GRANT CHALLENGE OF ILLUMINATING AND INTERPRETING THE LAWS THAT PRODUCE THE "TANGLED BANK" SO THAT WE MAY BETTER UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE GRANDEUR IN THE VIEW OF LIFE....THAT WHILST THIS PLANET HAS GONE CYCLING ON ACCORDING TO THE FIXED LAW OF GRAVITY FROM SO SIMPLE A BEGINNING ENDLESS FORMS MOST BEAUTIFUL AND MOST WONDERFUL HAVE BEEN AND ARE BEING EVOLVED. THE LAWS ORIGINAL INFERRED BY DARWIN WERE THOSE THAT GIVE RISE TO NATURAL SELECTION WHICH IS A CONSEQUENCE OF NATURAL VARIATION INHERITANCE OF VARIATION AND THE DIFFERENTIAL REPRODUCTION AND SURVIVORSHIP OF VARIANTS ACCORDING TO THEIR FITNESS. 150 YEAR LATER WE NOW RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF OTHER FACTORS IN PARTICULAR CHANGE WHETHER IN THE FORM OF GENETIC DRIFT OR HISTORICAL CONTINGENCY. OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE MECHANISM OF INHERITANCE CONTINUES TO BE REFINED BY NEW INSIGHTS INTO WHAT CONSTITUTES A GENE HOW GENES INTERACT AND HOW MUTATION RATE ITSELF IS SUBJECT TO NATURAL SELECTION. OUR ASTROBIOLOGY PROJECT IS ORGANIZED AROUND A SET OF QUESTIONS RELATED TO MAJOR TRANSITIONS IN THE HISTORY OF LIFE WHEN INDEPENDENTLY REPLICATING ENTITIES COMBINE IN TO LARGER MORE COMPLEX WHOLES: (I) HOW DO ENZYMES AND METABOLIC NETWORKS EVOLVE? (II) HOW DID THE EUKARYOTIC CELL SPECIFICALLY THE CELL THAT CONTAINED A MITOCHONDRION COME TO BE? (III) HOW DO SYMBIOSES ARISE? (IV) HOW DOES MULTICELLULARITY EVOLVE? AND (V) HOW DO PLEIOTROPY EPISTASIS AND MUTATION RATE CONSTRAIN THE EVOLUTION OF NOVEL TRAITS? A UNIFYING THEM UNDERLYING THESE QUESTIONS IS: HOW DO COOPERATIVE VS. COMPETITIVE INTERACTIONS PLAY OUT IN DRIVING MAJOR TRANSITIONS? SEEKING THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS FALLS SQUARELY WITHIN ASTROBIOLOGY WHICH IS THE STUDY OF THE ORIGINS EVOLUTION DISTRIBUTION AND FUTURE OF LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE AND HELPS TO ADDRESS THE FIRST OF OUR DISCIPLINE'S THREE PRINCIPAL QUESTIONS: HOW DOES LIFE BEGIN AND EVOLVE?

THE OVERARCHING TECHNICAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED NASA ULI IS TO OVERCOME BARRIERS TO REDUCING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FUTURE CIVIL SUPERSONIC TRANSPORT (CST) THROUGH A TIGHTLY INTEGRATED PROGRAM OF LOW-EMISSION COMBUSTOR TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

FINDING SLEEPING BEAUTY: T CELL BIOSENSORS FOR DORMANT CANCER DETECTION - PROJECT SUMMARY SOME TYPES OF CANCERS, AS EXEMPLIFIED BY ESTROGEN RECEPTOR POSITIVE BREAST CANCER, CAN RECUR AS METASTATIC DISEASE MANY YEARS OR EVEN DECADES FOLLOWING A DORMANCY PERIOD WHERE THE PATIENT DISPLAYS NO CLINICAL SYMPTOMS. LATE RECURRENCE IS THOUGHT TO ARISE FROM DISSEMINATED TUMOR CELLS (DTCS) THAT WERE NOT KILLED BY INITIAL TREATMENT AND THAT LIE DORMANT AT METASTATIC SITES SUCH AS THE BONE MARROW UNTIL THEY REAWAKEN. STRIKINGLY, META- ANALYSIS OF OVER 60,000 EARLY-STAGE ER-POSITIVE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS TREATED WITH ENDOCRINE THERAPY REVEALED THAT THE RELATIVE RISK OF RECURRENCE PROGRESSIVELY INCREASES OVER A PERIOD OF AT LEAST 20 YEARS, INDICATING THAT PATIENTS IN COMPLETE REMISSION WITH NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE COULD HARBOR DORMANT CANCER AND REMAIN AT RISK OF METASTATIC RELAPSE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THEIR LIFE. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO WIDELY USED METHOD TO MONITOR THE DORMANT STATE NOR ITS REAWAKENING. THE ARRIVAL OF CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY HAS REVEALED EXCITING POSSIBILITIES USING ENGINEERED T CELLS AS LIVING MEDICINES. T CELLS DESIGNED WITH TUMOR-TARGETING RECEPTORS AND SOPHISTICATED GENETIC CIRCUITS HAVE LED TO STRIKING TREATMENT RESPONSES IN PATIENTS WITH CERTAIN TYPES OF CANCERS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY UNTREATABLE. THIS MOMENT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO NOT ONLY BUILD A FUTURE WHERE T CELLS ARE ENGINEERED AS THERAPIES, BUT ALSO AS LIVING SENSORS THAT CAN DETECT CANCER WITH SENSITIVITIES AND SPECIFICITIES BEYOND WHAT IS CURRENTLY POSSIBLE. THE ACTIVATION AND GROWTH OF DORMANT TUMOR CELLS INTO MICRO-METASTASES REQUIRE THE HALLMARK EXPRESSION OF PROTEASES DURING KEY STEPS SUCH AS ANGIOGENESIS. TO EXPLOIT PROTEASE DYSREGULATION, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP ENGINEERED RECEPTORS THAT SENSE PROTEOLYSIS TO DETECT REAWAKENING. THESE CONTAIN AN EXTRACELLULAR SINGLE CHAIN ANTIBODY THAT IS BLOCKED BY A PEPTIDE MIMOTOPE SUCH THAT THEY CAN BIND TO THEIR COGNATE ANTIGENS ONLY AFTER THE BLOCKING PEPTIDE IS REMOVED BY PROTEOLYSIS, RESTRICTING T CELL ACTIVATION TO THE SPECIFIC CONDITION WHERE THE COGNATE PROTEASE AND TUMOR ANTIGEN ARE BOTH PRESENT. FOLLOWING ACTIVATION, T CELL SENSORS AMPLIFY THE RELEASE OF SYNTHETIC BIOMARKERS (BLOOD, URINE AND IMAGING) FOR DETECTION. GENETICALLY ENCODED LIBRARIES (>10^4) OF PROTEASE-ACTIVATABLE RECEPTORS WILL ALLOW IN VIVO SCREENING OF 1000S OF CANDIDATE T CELL SENSORS TO POSITIVELY AND NEGATIVELY SELECT FOR CONSTRUCTS THAT CAN REPORT ON AWAKENING IN DIFFERENT MICROENVIRONMENTS SUCH AS THE BONE MARROW AND LUNGS. THE ADOPTIVE TRANSFER OF T CELL SENSORS WITH MEMORY PHENOTYPE COULD LEAD TO LIFE-LONG T CELL SENSORS THAT CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR FOR FUTURE DISEASE. THESE TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS WILL HAVE HUGE IMPLICATIONS IN UNDERSTANDING HOW AND WHEN DORMANT CELLS REAWAKEN AND GUIDE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS AT THE EARLIEST STAGES OF REACTIVATION.

HUMAN FACTORS AWARENESS TRAINING FOR FAA SAFETY SPECIALISTS WITHIN AIRCRAFT CERTIFICATION

MODELING OF VEHICLE ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDING NEW TECHNOLOGIES/CONCEPTS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM\NASDL AND THE

THE OVERARCHING RESEARCH OBJECTIVE SEEKS TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY AFFORDABILITY AND SAFETY BY DEVELOPING SIMULATION TOOLS AND OPERATIONAL PROCESSES TO OPTIMIZE THE COST SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE OF CIVILIAN VERTICAL LIFT AIR VEHICLES

EXPLORATION, CONSERVATION, & DEVELOPMENT OF MARINE BIODIVERSITY IN FIJI AND THE S

NATIONAL INFORMATION EXCHANGE MODEL (NIEM) DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT PROJECT

TAS::57 3600::TAS "(MURI 11) MULTI-FUNCTIONAL LIGHT-MATTER INTERFACES BASED ON NEUTRAL ATOMS AND SOLIDS," DATED 02 DEC 2010

I-CORPS NODE: I-CORPS SOUTH

BASIC PRINCIPLES THAT GOVERN THE INTERACTION ORGANOMETALLIC CATALYSTS WITH SUPPORTS - THE SCIENCE OF IMMOBILIZED MOLECULAR CATALYSTS

EXPLORATION, CONSERVATION, AND DEVELOPMENT OF MARINE BI*

PORT SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM

THIS IS A MURI CONTINUATION OF N00014-14-1-0580 CENTER FOR ADVANCED ORGANIC PHOTOVOLTAICS.

NATIVE MASS SPECTROMETRY GUIDED STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY CENTER - WE PROPOSE CONVERSION OF THE P41 RESOURCE FOR NATIVE MASS SPECTROMETRY GUIDED STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY (2018- ) TO AN RM1 BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND DISSEMINATION (BTDD) CENTER. THE NMSSB CENTER WILL PRODUCE ROBUST, UNIVERSALLY-AVAILABLE, TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR CHARACTERIZING THE ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY OF MACROMOLECULAR PROTEIN COMPLEXES, INCLUDING THE DEFINITION OF THEIR COMPOSITIONS, PTMS, STOICHIOMETRY, STRUCTURE/ARCHITECTURE/TOPOLOGY, FLEXIBILITY/STABILITY, AND THEIR CONFORMATIONAL/BINDING-INDUCED CHANGES UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. THE INCLUSION OF AN INTEGRATED WORKFLOW FOR NATIVE MASS SPECTROMETRY (NMS) WILL ENABLE, COMPLEMENT, AND EXPAND WHAT IS POSSIBLE WITH OTHER STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY (SB) TOOLS. WE PROPOSE THREE HIGHLY SYNERGISTIC TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS (TDPS) THAT BUILD FROM OUR PRODUCTIVE P41 TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. FEASIBILITY FOR THE TDPS HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED THROUGH PRELIMINARY DATA AND PUBLICATIONS IN HIGH-QUALITY JOURNALS, AS WELL AS THROUGH THE LICENSING OF ONE VERSION OF OUR SID TECHNOLOGY BY AN MS VENDOR (WATERS CORP.), RELEASE OF A DESALTING COLUMN (BASED ON OUR ONLINE BUFFER EXCHANGE PROGRESS) BY ANOTHER VENDOR (THERMO) IN 2022, AND THE FUNDING OF TWO SBIR GRANTS (EMSION AND PROTEIN METRICS). WE CONTINUE AND EXPAND OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH MULTIPLE MS VENDORS/ SUSTAINABILITY PARTNERS, BIOPHARMA COLLABORATORS/INDUSTRIAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS, AND ADD TWO TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS (IVANOV AND COON). TEN GEOGRAPHICALLY AND TOPICALLY/SCIENTIFICALLY DIVERSE DRIVING BIOMEDICAL PROJECTS (DBPS) HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO DRIVE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND EXTEND NMS TO LEADING BIOMEDICAL LABORATORIES THAT ARE TACKLING E.G., CANCER, VIRAL INFECTIONS, AND NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS. OUR THREE TDPS FOCUS ON DIFFERENT VENDOR-NEUTRAL TOOLS COUPLED IN MULTIPLE WAYS TO MAXIMIZE FUTURE NMS OPTIONS. TDP1 OPTIMIZES A PANEL OF SOLUTION-PHASE SEPARATION AND MEASUREMENT TOOLS, INCLUDING THE EXPANSION OF TWO-COLUMN ONLINE BUFFER EXCHANGE, CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS, AND VARIABLE TEMPERATURE ELECTROSPRAY IONIZATION. TDP2 DEVELOPS IMPROVED MASS SELECTION USING DIGITAL QUADRUPOLE TECHNOLOGY AND IMPROVED RESOLUTION FOURIER TRANSFORM ION MOBILITY (IM) SPECTROMETRY, COUPLES SURFACE INDUCED DISSOCIATION WITH MULTIPLE IM AND MS ANALYZERS INCLUDING CHARGE DETECTION MASS SPECTROMETRY, AND DEVELOPS COMPUTATIONAL METHODS TO USE ENERGY-RESOLVED NMS DATA AND IM TO IDENTIFY “NEAR-NATIVE” COMPUTATIONAL MODELS. TDP3 DEVELOPS COLLISION- AND SURFACE-INDUCED UNFOLDING TO SCREEN BIOMOLECULAR STABILITY, ADAPTS TDP TECHNOLOGIES FOR VENDOR-SPECIFIC COMPLEX DOWN/NATIVE-OMICS APPROACHES, AND CONSTRUCTS INTEGRATED COMPUTATIONS THAT UTILIZE SYNERGISTIC MS RESTRAINTS TO PREDICT PROTEIN QUATERNARY STRUCTURES. OUR ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE PROVIDES LEADERSHIP, COORDINATES COMMUNICATION/COLLABORATION, AND DRIVES SUSTAINABILITY. OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN CONTINUES DISSEMINATION AND TRAINING TO INCLUDE PUBLICATIONS, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO BETA TESTERS AND VENDORS, AN ANNUAL NMS SHORT COURSE, VIRTUAL AND HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS, AND MULTIPLE “SUSTAINABILITY SITES” WHERE NMS WORKFLOWS WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH OTHER SB TOOLS FOR NON-EXPERT AND EXPERT USERS.

PCL-TEST BED: THE AI MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING PILOT FACILITY NODE (PCL-AIMMPF) -NSF PCL-TEST BED: THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS PILOT FACILITY (AIMMPF) PCL NODE THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS PILOT FACILITY IS ONE NODE OF A NATIONAL NETWORK OF PROGRAMMABLE, AUTONOMOUS LABORATORIES THAT CAN BE ACCESSED BY U.S. RESEARCHERS USING WEB APPLICATIONS. IT EMPOWERS THEM TO INVENT, DEPLOY, DE-RISK, AND USE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TO MORE RAPIDLY DISCOVER AND DEPLOY NEW MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES USING AUTONOMOUS RESEARCH WORKFLOWS OF PROGRAMMABLE EXPERIMENTS AND SIMULATIONS. THIS INVESTMENT IN WORLD-LEADING AI-POWERED LABORATORIES INCREASES ACCESS TO ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT, ACCELERATES SCALING OF BASIC RESEARCH INTO INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, AND IS AN ASSET IN ATTRACTING AND TRAINING FUTURE GENERATIONS OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS IN DISCOVERING, DEVELOPING, AND USING AI-ACCELERATED RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODOLOGIES. IT ALSO CREATES A TEST BED FOR DEVELOPING COMMUNITY NORMS, BEST PRACTICES, AND FORMAL STANDARDS FOR AUTOMATED LABORATORIES, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEXT-GENERATION KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS THAT ENABLE PEOPLE AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EDUCATION TO BE INFORMED AND TO BENEFIT FROM TAXPAYER-FUNDED RESEARCH DATA. THE PROGRAMMABLE CLOUD LABORATORIES - AI MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS PILOT FACILITY NODE (PCL-AIMMPF) INTEGRATES THE GEORGIA TECH ADVANCED MANUFACTURING PILOT FACILITY (AMPF) USER FACILITY FOR AI-DRIVEN MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING RESEARCH WITH THE DUKE AUTOMATIC FLOWS FOR MATERIALS DISCOVERY INTEGRATED COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS ENGINEERING (ICME) SOFTWARE LIBRARIES USING THE CONTEXTUALIZE CARTA KNOWLEDGE AND DATA MANAGEMENT PLATFORM TO EMPOWER U.S. RESEARCHERS TO INVENT, DEPLOY, DE-RISK, AND USE AI TO MORE RAPIDLY DISCOVER AND DEPLOY NEW MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES USING AUTONOMOUS RESEARCH WORKFLOWS OF PROGRAMMABLE EXPERIMENTS AND SIMULATIONS. IN TOTAL, PCL-AIMMPF PROVIDES REMOTE AND ON-PREMISES ACCESS TO UNPRECEDENTED SELF-DRIVING RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE AND SOFTWARE. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PCL-AIMMPF NODE IS GUIDED BY EIGHT RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: 1) CREATE THE ABILITY TO PROGRAM RESEARCH WORKFLOWS FROM THE CLOUD AND BY AI AGENTS, 2) DEVELOP OPEN METADATA AND DATA STANDARDS FOR SELF-DRIVING LABS, 3) DEVELOP AN INNOVATIVE AI-ORCHESTRATED DIGITAL TWIN THAT USES LLMS TO ASSIST USERS WHO PLAN, MONITOR, AND ANALYZE THEIR RESEARCH GOALS, 4) BOOST AI ABILITIES TO TRANSLATE MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING SCIENTIFIC QUERIES INTO AUTONOMOUS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WORKFLOWS, 5) PIONEER AI-AGENTS THAT CONTINUOUSLY OPTIMIZE THE PLANNING AND SCHEDULING OPERATIONS OF PCL-AIMMPF WORKFLOWS IN UNCERTAIN ENVIRONMENTS, 6) CREATE AND DEPLOY DATA ASSIMILATION AI-AGENTS THAT USE SENSORS FROM THE FACILITY TO ESTIMATE THE STATE OF THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROGRESS, 7) INCREASE THE PCL-AIMMPF EQUIPMENT AND SIMULATIONS CAPABLE OF USE IN AUTONOMOUS WORKFLOWS, AND 8) DEVELOP TECHNOLOGIES AND STANDARDS THAT ALLOW SCIENTIFIC WORKFLOWS FROM ONE NODE TO BE COMBINED WITH THOSE OF OTHERS TO FORM TRANS-NODAL RESEARCH PATHWAYS.?? 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

HUMAN SIGNATURES FOR PERSONNEL DETECTION

THE PROPOSED PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP THE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS TO DESIGN ADAPTIVE COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND EQUITABLE RESILIENCE STRATEGIES UNDER PROJECTED FUTURE SEA-LEVEL RISE SCENARIOS ALONG THE VULNERABLE GEORGIA COASTLINE. THIS PROJECT IN PARTICULAR HAS A STRONG FOCUS ON LOW-INCOME, HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES OF COLOR IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, BUILDING ON EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN GEORGIA TECH, CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS, AND SEVERAL LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS. THE PROJECT WILL BUILD ON AN EXISTING NETWORK OF 50 "SMART SEA LEVEL SENSORS" (SEALEVELSENSORS.ORG) AND A STATE OF THE ART WATER-LEVEL MODELING AND FORECASTING SYSTEM BASED IN CHATHAM COUNTY, EXPANDING THE SENSOR NETWORK AND MODELING ALONG THE GEORGIA COASTLINE, INCLUDING INSTALLATIONS IN GLYNN COUNTY, CAMDEN COUNTY, AND THE KING'S BAY NAVAL BASE. THE NETWORK AND MODELING WILL BE THE FOUNDATION OF A GA STAKEHOLDER DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM (GA-SDSS) THAT WILL PROVIDE REAL-

NSF-SIMONS SOUTHEAST CENTER FOR MATHEMATICS AND BIOLOGY

GEORGIA TECH'S SCHOLARSHIP-FOR-SERVICE (SFS) PROGRAM

RESEARCH ON VERTICAL LIFT TECHNOLOGY

HEARTBEAT: HELIOSPHERE TO EARTH ATMOSPHERE RENDERING THROUGH BUILDING EXCELLENT ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE TRAINING - NEW AWARD

THE PROJECT GOAL IS TO COUPLE THE NUTRIENT AND WATER RESOURCES IN DOMESTIC WASTEWATER TO URBAN CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE SYSTEMS (DWW-CEAS). SUPPORTING OBJECTIVES INCLUDE 1) CONFIRMING THAT PRODUCE GROWTH RATES AND QUALITY DON'T DIMINISH COMPARED TO CONTROL EXPERIMENTS WHERE SYNTHETIC HYDROPONIC FERTILIZERS ARE USED, 2) CONFIRMING THAT CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS DON'T ACCUMULATE IN THE PRODUCE, 3) CONFIRMING THAT THE PRODUCE IS PATHOGEN FREE, 4) REDUCING DWW TREATMENT COSTS BY USING THE LATEST IN ENERGY-POSITIVE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY, 5) DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE FOOD, ENERGY AND WATER (FEW) SYSTEM USING MODELLING APPROACHES TO MINIMIZE INVESTMENTS IN DWW-CEA SYSTEMS WHILE MAXIMIZING THE UTILITY OF THE SYSTEMS, 6) PROVIDING AN EDUCATION IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART AND MATHEMATICS IN HIGH-TECH WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND CEA TECHNOLOGIES, 7) DEVELOPING A VETERAN WORKFORCE TO HELP OPERATE DWW-CEAS, AND 8) GUIDING LOCAL POLICY TO PROVIDE SUSTAINABLE AND LONG-LASTING SOLUTIONS TO CONSERVE OUR PRECIOUS NUTRIENT AND WATER RESOURCES. TO ACCOMPLISH THE PROJECT GOAL, A PILOT-SCALE HYDROPONIC SYSTEM WILL BE CONSTRUCTED AND OPERATED USING DWW MINED FROM THE SEWER SYSTEM ON THE GEORGIA TECH CAMPUS. THE DWW WILL BE TREATED TO REMOVE CONTAMINANTS AND PATHOGENS BEFORE BEING USED TO IRRIGATE HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS TO ASSURE FOOD AND FARM WORKER SAFETY. MULTIPLE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE VARIETIES WILL BE GROWN YEAR-ROUND. WATER QUALITY AND CHEMICAL AND MICROORGANISM CONTAMINATION WILL BE MEASURED CONTINOUSLY. THE PROJECT WILL SHOW THAT DWW-CEAS ARE SOCIALLY, ENVIRONMENTALLY AND FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE, EASILY REPLICABLE IN URBAN AREAS AND WILL PROVIDE A LONG-LASTING SOLUTION TO CONSERVE OUR PRECIOUS WATER RESOURCES FOR FOOD PRODUCTION.

AGEP: FACES: FACILITATING ACADEMIC CAREERS IN ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE

TAS::89 0336::TAS RECOVERY MODULAR THERMAL HUB FOR BUILDING COOLING, HEATING AND WATER HEATING THIS TEAM LED BY GEORGIA TECH WILL DEVELOP A

FAILURE MECHANISMS OF NEURAL ELECTRODES

REHABILITATION ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTERS

RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM PLAN ON CELL AND TISSUE ENGINEERING (CTENG)

PROBING POLYMICROBIAL SYNERGY USING HIGH THROUGHPUT GENOMICS

TAS::57 3600::TAS "(MURI 10) - CENTER FOR ORGANIC MATERIALS FOR ALL OPTICAL SWITCHING"

THE COOL TEAM WILL CONDUCT AN INTERDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE ORIGINS EVOLUTION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF TRANSLATION WHICH IS A WINDOW TO PRIMEVAL EVENTS AND MOLECULAR STRUCTURES. WE WILL INTEGRATE BIOPHYSICAL STRUCTURAL BIOINFORMATIC BIOCHEMICAL CHEMICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY APPROACHES TO UNDERSTAND BIOLOGY S INTERNAL FOSSIL RECORD . OUR OVERRIDING SCIENTIFIC QUESTION IS: HOW DID THE ORIGINAL AND MOST PROFOUND MUTUALISTIC RELATIONSHIP IN BIOLOGY OF POLYPEPTIDE AND POLYNUCLEOTIDE TAKE ROOT AND ULTIMATELY COME TO DEFINE AND RULE THE BIOLOGICAL EARTH? THE CENTRAL QUESTION WILL BE FRAMED BY FOUR THEMES: (THEME 1) EVOLUTION OF TRANSLATION IN VIVO (THEME 2) EVOLUTION OF TRANSLATION IN VITRO (THEME 3) WALKING BACK FROM EXTANT BIOLOGY AND (THEME 4) ORIGINS OF MOLECULAR MUTUALISM.

RERC ON WIRELESS INCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGIES

RERC ON TECHNOLOGIES TO SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL AGING IN PLACE WITH LONG-TERM DISABILITY (TECHSAGE RERC II)

REHABILITATION ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTERS

BIO-INSPIRED MATERIAL ARCHITECTURES FOR DEEP SEA (BIMADS)

COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM DEBLOATING VIA PATH BASED LEARNING & LATE STAGE OS COMPOSITION

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: HR001123S0051CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER(S): 12.910 RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTTHE 80 YEAR OLD CHALLENGE OF TURNING ALN INTO A SEMICONDUCTOR HAD SEEN VERY LITTLE PROGRESS UNTIL 2021 WHEN GA TECH SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED P-TYPE ALN WITH HOLE CONCENTRATIONS EXCEEDING 3X1018 CM-3 1. IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS, BOTH P-TYPE AND N-TYPE CARRIER CONCENTRATIONS GREATER THAN 4.4-6.1 X 1018 CM-3 WERE SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED2,3. THESE CARRIER CONCENTRATIONS ARE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO ALLOW REASONABLE OHMIC CONTACTS, ALBEIT WITH APPROACHES THAT CURRENTLY HAVE NO CORRESPONDING THEORY TO EXPLAIN THEIR LIMITED SUCCESS. THESE ADVANCES HAVE RESULTED IN BOTH PN DIODES WITH 3 A CM2 AND TRANSISTOR STRUCTURES WITH 357 A MM AND 37 A MM CURRENT DENSITIES FOR N-TYPE AND P-TYPE MESFETS, RESPECTIVELY. AS PROMISING AS THESE EARLY RESULTS HAVE BEEN, THEY FALL SHORT OF THE CONTACT RESISTANCES NEEDED FOR STATE-OF-THE-ART DEVICES AND HAVE COME WITH LIMITED THEORETICAL AND CHARACTERIZATION UNDERSTANDING. THIS MUST BE RECTIFIED IF THE FIELD IS GOING TO MOVE FORWARD. GIVEN 1) ALN HAS EXCEPTIONAL PROPERTIES FOR ELECTRONICS INCLUDING EXCELLENT THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, A SATURATION VELOCITY ALMOST (93%) AS HIGH AS THAT OF GAN, BUT CRITICAL ELECTRIC FIELDS FOR BREAKDOWN WHICH ARE 3-5X THAT OF GAN AND SIC (ATTRIBUTABLE TO IT HAVING THE LARGEST BANDGAP (6.1 EV) OF ANY SEMICONDUCTOR) WITH A 2) COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE 2 SUBSTRATE AND 4 RESEARCH SCALE SUBSTRATE ALREADY AVAILABLE AND 3) ENORMOUS OPTOELECTRONICS MARKETS THAT CAN EXPEDITE THE ECOSYSTEM NEEDED FOR WIDESPREAD ADOPTION (AS PREVIOUSLY WAS THE CASE FOR GAAS, INP, AND GAN), IT IS NOT A STRETCH TO ENVISAGE ALN BEING THE NEXT REVOLUTION IN ELECTRONICS. TO ENABLE THIS PREDICTION, A NEW NITRIDE ERA (ANNE) TEAM HAS BEEN ASSEMBLED AS DESCRIBED IN FIGURE 1 TO ADVANCE THE STATE OF THE ART IN: 1) EPITAXY CAPABLE OF HIGH N- AND P-TYPE CARRIER CONCENTRATIONS, 2) STATE OF THE ART CHARACTERIZATION, 3) MATERIALS MODELING, 4) ADVANCED DEVICE THERMAL, ELECTRICAL MODELING AND 5) FABRICATION WITH 6) NOVEL NEW CONTACT CHEMISTRY AND CONCEPTS. EACH OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES WILL BE USED TO LEVERAGE ALL THREE ASPECTS OF DIODE DESIGN TO EXCEED THE DARPA UWBGS DIODE METRICS: A) THE METAL-SEMICONDUCTOR INTERFACE, B) THE BULK OF THE SEMICONDUCTOR AND C) DEVICE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION. TO IMPACT A NEW ERA OF DOD ELECTRONICS, INDUSTRY PARTNERS MUST BE INVOLVED, AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSITIONED SWIFTLY TO ENABLE ADVANCED DEVICES AND IMPACT EVALUATIONS. FOR THIS REASON, WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH RTX (FORMERLY RAYTHEON) TO ENSURE RAPID AND RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY TRANSITION FOR NEAR TERM IMPACT ON DOD MISSIONS.