William Clark - US grants

This project is to create a multidisciplinary interactive technology-based problem-solving model for cross-curricular technology transfer. The project objectives are:
1. incorporate meaningful technology-based problem solving applications into all science courses by developing innovative curricula, adapting existing resources, and integrating new technologies,
2. target unserved and underserved populations, including women and minorities for science success,
3. promote multidisciplinary collaborations to strengthen interdisciplinary problem solving as a foundation for new program development,
4. create valuable outreach programs for updating teachers' and faculty's technological enhancement, and
5. update skills for non-professional individuals, thereby enabling them to integrate into technical positions in emerging industries.

The creation of a multifunctional computer laboratory for intra-and inter-curricular studies is to provide the environment for a faculty to adapt commercially available software, computer-based laboratory interfaces, internet databases, and digital imaging techniques to promote students' exploration, visualization, and creative analysis of complex scientific concepts. Implementation of advanced computer applications are to provide a broader range of strategies to teach creative problem solving. Virtual applications in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geoscience, and Physics are expected to peak the interest of more students, inspiring some to pursue careers in basic and applied science.

Project Summary In young adults, the positive mechanical power generated via triceps surae (i.e., gastrocnemius -GAS, soleus- SOL) muscle-tendon interaction is responsible for a large majority of the total power needed to walk. Recent evidence suggests that GAS and SOL transmit their forces through distinct, and perhaps mechanically independent, subtendons that merge and twist to form the Achilles tendon (AT). Consistent with our preliminary ultrasound imaging results in humans, animal models of the aging AT allude to adhesions between adjacent subtendons. We propose that these adhesions unfavorably couple the GAS and SOL, thereby negatively affecting fundamental mechanisms that influence muscle-subtendon interaction dynamics and triceps surae mechanical output during walking. Using a novel dual-probe imaging technique, our preliminary data reveal that triceps surae muscle dynamics may precipitate non-uniform displacement patterns in the architecturally complex AT of young adults, thereby facilitating mechanical independence of GAS (responsible for forward propulsion) and SOL (responsible for trunk support). Aim 1: Our proposal will leverage our novel dual-probe imaging technique to determine the role of muscle contractile dynamics in governing localized AT tissue displacements in young adults. Aim 2: We will then quantify the effects of aging on the role of muscle contractile dynamics in governing Achilles subtendon displacement (and vice versa). Aim 3: Finally, we will integrate our measured muscle- subtendon interaction dynamics into a computational model of the lower extremity to identify mechanistic causal relations between relevant architectural and neuromuscular factors in precipitating age-related changes during walking. The findings from this study will have immediate impact on our understanding of musculoskeletal mechanisms underlying age-related mobility impairment toward improving the health and welfare of our aging population. Moreover, our technological advancements in musculoskeletal imaging will revolutionize the use of in vivo ultrasound during functional locomotor behavior, with broad implications in humans and other animals. More broadly, the knowledge gained from this study could significantly accelerate the development of engineered tissues, regenerative medicine approaches and therapies, and orthopaedic surgical intervention.

The NSF Convergence Accelerator supports use-inspired, team-based, multidisciplinary efforts that address challenges of national importance and will produce deliverables of value to society in the near future. Sensors are a pivotal component in a wide range of applications such as positioning, navigation, imaging, and timing. Quantum sensors are of technological interest due to their enhanced sensing performance. This project will create a quantum-sensing architecture that interconnects a variety of sensors with optical interfaces to form a network that has inherently quantum characteristics (of entanglement). Such a quantum sensor network will have benefits in a range of applications, including atomic force microscopy, inertial navigation, space communications, and healthcare imaging.

This project will advance knowledge by showing how to harness entanglement interconnects and enhance the sensitivity, accuracy, and stability of real-world force, inertial, RF, and other types of sensors. Use-inspired applications will include AFM for quantum materials studies, positioning and navigation in GPS-denied environments, and precise beam pointing for space-based laser communications. By harnessing tools in quantum optomechanics such as a squeezing-enhanced interferometry and radiation pressure cooling, the team will deliver the first entanglement-interconnected optomechanical AFMs and inertial sensor arrays and then scale up arrays for multi-order-of-magnitude performance improvements over existing technologies. This project will advance the training of the US quantum workforce by engaging scientists and engineers at multiple education and career stages in university, industry, and national laboratory environments. Participants will gain theoretical background knowledge of quantum information science (QIS) and experimental skills for quantum optics, integrated photonics, optomechanics, and quantum-system engineering in a convergent, team-science setting.

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.