Project Grant FA8655261B026

This $1,230,301 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) supports a multidisciplinary collaboration to explore the mechanical properties and genetic/biochemical basis of a potent adhesive biopolymer produced by bacteria. The research aims to provide a detailed mechanistic understanding of how these types of materials impart strong adhesion, with applications in developing biocompatible and water-tolerant adhesives. The award,...

The National Science Foundation Division of Integrative Organismal Systems awarded a $330,483 Project Grant to the University of Maryland Baltimore County under the Biological Sciences federal grant program (CFDA 47.074) to support collaborative research titled "Genetics and Biomechanics of Non-Newtonian Prey Capture Adhesives Across Panarthropoda." The grant aims to increase scientific knowledge and understanding of major biological problems by promoting progress in the biological...

This National Science Foundation project grant award of $276,000 provides funding from February 1, 2023 through January 31, 2025 to advance research on spider silk structure, mechanics and evolutionary ecology under the Biological Sciences federal grant program (CFDA 47.074). Specifically, the award will support a postdoctoral research fellowship studying the unique horizontal orb webs and silk properties of the Wendilgarda clara spider species that lives at the air-water interface of streams....

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation supports collaborative research titled "SILK PROTEIN INNOVATION AND NOVELTY (SPIN): INTEGRATING ACROSS DISCIPLINES TO DECIPHER SILK FIBER EVOLUTION." With $124,867 in funding and a performance period from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2027, the grant supports an integrative team of natural historians, molecular biologists, developmental biologists, and bioengineers combining expertise to study silk fiber function across diverse...

This four-year project grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation, totaling $432,573, will fund research on "Switchable Underwater Adhesion Through Dynamic Chemistry and Geometry" under the NSF's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041). The University of California, Berkeley will develop innovative adhesion technologies allowing for controlled attachment and detachment underwater through reactive chemical processes and geometric...

This $149,754 National Science Foundation project grant supports research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst aimed at developing novel stimuli-responsive mesoscale polymer materials inspired by worm blobs. Funded under the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), the two-year award beginning August 1, 2022 will support fundamental biophysical experiments and mathematical analysis of California blackworm behavior, as well as synthesizing soft, flexible filament-like polymer structures....

This $150,000 two-year Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will fund research at Georgia Tech Research Corporation to develop novel stimuli-responsive mesoscale polymer materials inspired by worm blobs. The researchers will conduct biophysical experiments and mathematical modeling on California blackworms to understand how individual filaments and twisted filament pairs interact collectively to allow the worms to dynamically transform their blob...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program awarded a $546,127 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant to the University of Pittsburgh to investigate novel, reversible adhesion mechanisms for soft materials like hydrogels. This research aims to enable the reconfigurable assembly of soft machines, such as medical implants, wearable devices, and biomimetic robots. The project will explore the underlying mechanics of stimuli-responsive osmocapillary and electrostatic...

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation supports collaborative research on silk protein innovation and novelty titled "Integrating Across Disciplines to Decipher Silk Fiber Evolution." The $655,390 award will fund research from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2027. The research team, led by George Washington University, will take an integrative approach examining the molecular, developmental, and functional basis of natural silks across diverse uses. A team of natural...

This $495,000 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation's Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) program funds research to develop structurally programmable adhesives with actively modulated performance for specialized applications such as wearable electronics, biomedical devices, and soft robotics. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, through its Office of Sponsored Research, will lead a 3-year effort to better understand how molecular brush architecture...