This award by the Biomaterials Program in the Division of Materials Research and the Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering Program in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems is to explore the fundamental mechanisms behind adaptive coloration in cephalopods. Cephalopods are marine organisms that include squid, octopus, and cuttlefish. They can undergo rapid and adaptive changes in their skin color for sensing, communication, defense, and reproduction purposes enabling them to blend in or stand out in their local environment. The goal is to determine how these animals are capable of such interactive features and identify which proteins and pigments aid in this function. With this fundamental knowledge, PIs aim to design new materials inspired by cephalopods that may undergo similar color-changing responses. An integrative outreach component is a key feature of this award, where the PIs will build educational materials and experiences to prepare students for STEM careers in materials science and engineering. To this end, the PIs will develop a week-long workshop to train up to 10 high school teachers (mix of non-honors, honors, and AP teachers) on how to design, build, and test optical devices and materials inspired by systems in biology.
Cephalopods can actively tune their dermal coloration with the support of neurally-controlled, muscle-actuated pigment organs known as chromatophores. It is known that chromatophores contribute to changes in cephalopod coloration through the active expansion and retraction of pigmented granules confined within a cytoelastic sac; however, the composition of the granules and their role in modulating bulk coloration remain largely unknown. The primary objective of this proposal is to identify how the nanostructure and composition of these granules localized within the chromatophore organs impact broad area coloration during adaptive camouflage. The PIs will use a customized extraction protocol to isolate, purify, and identify the proteins and small molecules present in the chromatophores, investigate their interactions and develop a synthetic strategy to recapitulate their ability to absorb and scatter all wavelengths of visible light. Outreach components and teacher workshops will be designed to leverage the knowledge, tools, and connections from this research into educational materials and experiences to prepare high school students for STEM careers and college degrees where they can explore how biology is used to inspire engineered materials.
