The New Hampshire Center for Multiscale Modeling and Manufacturing of Biomaterials (NH Bio-Made) promises to create new knowledge and drive technological innovation, and train workforce in the areas of biotechnology and advanced manufacturing. The project's activities are organized around an integrated design approach that connects computational modeling, advanced manufacturing, and measurement of materials properties, all oriented toward developing new materials for biomedical applications such as orthopedic bearings and tissue engineering scaffolds. The integrated approach is intended to encourage close collaboration across disciplines to drive biomaterials development. The project will also include major investments in New Hampshire's research capacity. NH Bio-Made will establish a shared Biomaterials Core Facility to provide access to state-of the-art instrumentation and cyberinfrastructure for researchers statewide, and will support the hiring of eleven new faculty researchers at institutions across the state. The project's research activities will be integrated with an ambitious workforce development agenda aimed at providing diverse students with the specific biomaterials and manufacturing skills needed to enable their career success. These efforts will emphasize training for students in high schools, community colleges, and at institutions of higher learning in NH and will be directed toward careers in the biotechnology sector.
NH Bio-Made's goal is to advance the design and manufacture of hierarchical, heterogeneous biomaterials and enable the knowledge to predict and control their composition, structure, properties, and function. To accomplish this, the project will develop computational tools that span materials spatial scales from atomic to the macroscale. It will combine bottom-up self-assembly with top-down 3D printing to create biomaterials with designed structure at the nanoscale. These activities will employ a systems-level approach that drives hierarchical, heterogeneous biomaterial design for highly specific and verifiable functionalities. Research activities will be organized into four major thrusts, each working towards the development of specific categories of biomaterials: 1) composites for orthopedic bearings; 2) sheet metal for trauma fixation; 3) tissue engineering scaffolds; and 4) porous, conductive biosensors. These efforts will be supported by the Biomaterials Core Facility that will provide researchers across the state with shared access to high-performance computing infrastructure, advanced manufacturing equipment, and materials characterization instrumentation. The expectation is that the NH Bio-Made will advance understanding of new the design and manufacture of advanced materials while accelerating the state's competitiveness in the growing and important biotechnology industry. To ensure broad benefits from these research and infrastructure investments, the project will also provide training for students preparing to enter the biomaterials and advanced manufacturing workforce. These efforts will include both work-based learning opportunities for high school and community college students moving into the workforce and programs to facilitate the transition for students choosing to continue their education.
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.
