INnovative and Strategic Program Initiatives for Research and Education-North Dakota (INSPIRE-ND) will contribute to the agriculture, energy, and advanced manufacturing economies in North Dakota through forefront research in regional climate and sustainable materials sciences. The project will build and diversify the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce for these industries, enhance scientific computing infrastructure, and promote innovation and research. The research, organized through the Center for Regional Climate Studies (CRCS) and the Center for Sustainable Materials Science (CSMS), will address agricultural productivity and adaptation to climate variations and develop innovative plant materials based polymers and composites and associated technologies for the benefit of society.
INSPIRE-ND is a partnership between North Dakota State University, the University of North Dakota, and the five Tribal Colleges in collaboration with Primarily Undergraduate Institutions, Community Colleges, and state agriculture and manufacturing partners.
The research goals are ambitious and potentially transformative. CRCS will study linkages between regional climate, hydrologic processes, crop production, and autonomous farmer adaptions. Expected outcomes include improved understanding of extreme wet and dry events and agricultural production and adaption in response to climate changes. CSMS will create novel materials that can be programmed to degrade with photo-triggers by designing and preparing bio-based polymers and thermosets. The work on novel bio-based materials will span from fundamental polymer research to commercialization and life cycle assessment. The project utilizes state of the art research approaches to address problems of regional, national, and global importance.
Investments in workforce development, STEM education, and diversity will be coordinated through EMerging PrOgrams for WorkforcE Development, OutReach, Education, and Diversity - ND (EMPOWERED-ND) - which will include mentoring for students, postdocs and faculty, Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), Graduate Assistantship Programs, and private industry internships, as well as the new Native American Success in Science and Engineering (NASSE) initiative and an expansion of the highly successful NATURE program (now NATURE+), which engages Native American students via Sunday Academies and Summer Camps.
