Evolutionary materials that can change their form and function on demand have been at the heart of many technological revolutions, including lasers and fast actuators. A new materials revolution is underway, with evolutionary materials that not only change form and function, but also happen to be soft so that they can be used in entirely new technologies that interface with humans. Many of these materials challenge our understanding of what materials actually are, and blur the boundaries between a material and a structure. Soft, evolutionary materials hold much promise for a new generation of devices and cures. Establishing US dominance in this area and harnessing the potential benefits for prosperity and the general welfare will require developing a set of leaders across career stages and backgrounds, and setting the research agenda for this emerging field of soft, evolutionary materials. The daylong workshop funded by this grant will bring together established experts and young investigators from around the US to advance the understanding of soft matter and its application across a broad range of disciplines, and will develop the research agenda in this emerging field.
The focus will be developing the tools needed to model, design with, and optimize these new materials that change function and/or form in response to external stimuli. The workshop will develop an agenda in multi-materials, metamaterials, multi-component materials, and polymers. Bringing together experts across these sub-disciplines constitutes a major opportunity for developing American leadership in soft evolutionary materials. The gathering will afford ample opportunity for students to interact with internationally leading professors both scientifically and socially through a mentoring lunch and opportunities for one-on-one meetings with NSF program managers associated with the sister meeting, the Society of Engineering Science Annual Meeting. The workshop will thus enable investigators across a broad range of career stages to gain insight into pathways to success in these areas. A specific aim is to help young investigators maximize career development opportunities at this conference by providing them comfortable foundations of both scientific background and networking. The successes and failures of the workshop to achieve this goal will be assessed carefully through a survey to be completed by participants.
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.
