Eduardo Rojas - US grants

This award supports cooperative research on the regulation of hormone secretion in amphibian endocrine cells to be carried out by Illani Atwater and other researchers at NIH and Veronica Nassar-Gentina and her co-workers at the University of Chile. The co-workers are from the Faculty of Sciences in Montemar and the Faculty of Medicine in Santiago. Stimulus-secretion mechanisms in tadpole amphibian adrenal medulla and pancreatic cells will be compared to the same mechanisms in adult cells. Changes in cell membrane potentials and ionic channel activity will be measured and combined with measurements of hormone release in vitro. Many similarities exist between adult amphibian and mammalian hormone release patterns so it is important for this reason to establish a convenient non-mammalian animal model system. Part of the experiments will be carried out at the two Chilean laboratories and the rest at the Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics at NIH in Bethesda. In this way, the two countries both contribute facilities and personnel and derive the mutual benefits of the collaboration between teams of scientists on both sides. The partial support of the Chilean researchers helps fulfill the objectives of the Science in Developing Countries Program.

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a photonic nanofabrication system that enables three-dimensional fabrication of nanoscale to mesoscale structures with ultrahigh print resolution. This instrument will catalyze, potentially transformative fundamental research at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in areas ranging from soft robotics and sensors/actuators to cellular and lattice structures--enabling societal advances in areas from precision surgery and biomedical devices to manufacturing and warehouse distribution. This instrument will be a major regional resource for nanofabrication research and training and it will enhance Embry-Riddle?s collaborations with other universities, research centers, and industries. The award will also support educational activities for K-12, undergraduate and graduate students, and the public-- significantly impacting diverse populations of all ages and backgrounds.

Recent advances in additive manufacturing provide an opportunity to design and fabricate complex microstructures with unconventional geometries and materials for a wide range of engineering applications. This instrument will enable fabrication of biofidelic and biomimetic scaffolds and micromechanical and microfluidic devices to study biochemical processes and cancer research. Key projects will advance fundamental understanding in key areas including

- electromechanical relationships between micro dielectric elastomer and compliant electrodes of soft robotic actuation and knowledge of how muscular hydrostatic actuation works.
- relationships between the optimized microstructure geometries and mechanical properties and number of cells in 3D-printed micro lattice cellular structures.

- 3D geometries that offer better loss for guided waves or improved antenna radiation and optimal dielectric interconnections that are enabled by a 3D polymer structure.

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.

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art nanoscale characterization system to empower basic research in smart materials, thin films, and biomaterials at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). The project?s research findings may enable advanced bio-materials for enhanced medical treatments, novel electronic and smart materials with new functional capabilities and enhanced energy efficiency. The system will enrich research collaborations?both within the university and with R&D small businesses-- and establish a pipeline of skilled nano-characterization researchers from a large and ethnically-diverse pool of graduate and undergraduate students. Nanotechnology will be introduced to K-12 students through STEM programs including Girls in Engineering Math and Science (GEMS). Public understanding of nanotechnology will be heightened through an exhibit at the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences.

The research is grounded in a physics- based approach and many of the projects are focused on materials and structures behaviors in harsh environments. The instrumentation will enable researchers to map the properties of heterogeneous biomaterials, 3D printed smart materials, and nanocomposite materials to their microstructure. The instrument will also enable unprecedented simultaneous characterization and imaging of phase-changing materials at the onset of their transition temperatures. The researchers will integrate the high temperature measurements with simulation to advance fundamental knowledge of thin films structural stability -- in collaboration with researchers at the national labs and at other universities. The instrumentation will lay the foundation for needed microstructure-properties- additive manufacturing processing correlations to establish the durability of 3D printed thick-film dielectrics and electric conductors for antennas and electronics under harsh environments. The system will also help establish the elastic and viscoelastic properties of novel synthetic arterial grafts and shunts to ensure structural compatibility, achieve optimal compliance, and prevent cardiovascular malfunction. The system will also provide crucial tribological insights of 3D printed dielectric metal-elastomers composites and establish their deformation-electric current constitutive behavior.

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.

This grant supports fundamental research on a radical transformation of additive manufacturing through digitally connecting machines, humans, and manufactured products. Additive manufacturing has enabled a new paradigm shift from conventional design for manufacturing approaches into manufacturing for design. A fundamental change in additive manufacturing is necessary as we enter a new era of intelligent future manufacturing beyond additive manufacturing. A promising solution is the convergence of wireless embedded sensors with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) data processes, which can transform the way people interact with manufacturing processes, factory operations, optimizing efficiency, and anomaly system detection that could provide critical information about evaluated components and systems. This project opens a new transitional door to perceptive and cognitive additive manufacturing, enabling true internet of things and digital twin, connecting devices and machines in factories with robots, computers, and humans, and every product we manufacture in factories. The grant will also support educational activities to upskill the manufacturing workforce, K-12, undergraduate and graduate students, and the public, significantly influencing diverse populations of all ages and backgrounds. <br/><br/>Transformation to cyber-physical production manufacturing demands advanced process monitoring through distributed sensing beyond the current state of digitally connected machines and robots collaborating with humans. This project seeks to enable unprecedented wireless fingerprinting and sensing of additively manufactured parts by embedding wireless sensors and performing predictive analysis and health monitoring using AI and ML techniques. This project proposes a holistic approach involving four core research tasks: 1) to study the effects of embedding sensors during additive manufacturing; 2) to design embeddable acoustic sensors and insert them during the manufacturing process to read physical parameters; 3) to prove that embedded passive sensor signals can be sensed wirelessly using millimeter-wave antennas, and 4) to quickly monitor and evaluate the state of manufactured products using ML algorithms. This project has the potential to enable next-generation cyber-physical production systems. <br/><br/>This Future Manufacturing award is supported by the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and the Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS) of the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).<br/><br/>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.