NSF Org:	EFMA Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI)
Recipient:	UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Initial Amendment Date:	September 16, 2022
Latest Amendment Date:	May 21, 2024
Award Number:	2223537
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Giovanna Biscontin gibiscon@nsf.gov  (703)292-2339 EFMA  Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) ENG  Directorate for Engineering
Start Date:	November 1, 2022
End Date:	October 31, 2026 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$2,000,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$2,435,245.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2022 = $2,000,000.00 FY 2023 = $16,000.00 FY 2024 = $419,245.00
History of Investigator:	Alshakim Nelson (Principal Investigator) alshakim@uw.edu Hal Alper (Co-Principal Investigator) Shota Atsumi (Co-Principal Investigator) Gundula Proksch (Co-Principal Investigator) Ayokunle Olanrewaju (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	University of Washington 4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE SEATTLE WA  US  98195-1016 (206)543-4043
Sponsor Congressional District:	07
Primary Place of Performance:	University of Washington Department of Chemistry, Box 351 Seattle WA  US  98195-1700
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	07
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	HD1WMN6945W6
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	EFRI Research Projects
Primary Program Source:	01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002324RB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):
Program Element Code(s):	763300
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.041

ABSTRACT

Engineered living systems (ELiS) for the built environment have the potential to attain a level of precision, control, and sustainability that is not achieved with traditional construction materials. The three primary aims of this project are to develop low-hydration ELiS that self-strengthen/repair, create hydroponic ELiS with bio-sustained function and biocontainment, and use additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing) techniques to fabricate fasteners, joints, and prototype panels for the built environment. This project will meet the national need for advanced manufacturing methods for more sustainable built environments via reduced carbon footprint (reduced transport costs and greener production) and chemical circularity (chemical recycling of protein-based materials). This project also addresses the national need to develop the next generation of a highly skilled and diverse future workforce and will increase adoption of biological components in architectural design through outreach activities.

The overarching goal of this proposal is to address key fundamental challenges associated with the integration and sustenance of metabolically engineered microbial organisms in materials designed for the built environment. In order to propel ELiS forward and provide real-world engineering solutions for built environments, ELiS must have the requisite mechanical properties to be used for structural and constructural applications, be manufacturable as a variety of form factors, and need to be sustained under deployment conditions that may not naturally support the sustenance and proliferation of microbial organisms. Native soil microbes and cyanobacteria will be utilized as the cellular platforms for genetic engineering and will be sustained for the lifetime of the material. The team will fabricate, model, and test capillary microfluidic channels that transport water and nutrients. The transformative scientific aspects of our proposal are (i) genetic engineering of microorganisms for dynamic and extreme environments, (ii) design and synthesis of mechanically stiff protein-based hydrogels for 3D printing ELiS, and (iii) the integration of capillary microfluidic channels for autonomous fluid transport. Additionally, 3D printing enables the distributed manufacturing of parts, as well as custom designs that can be created by architects, engineers, and other users. Additive manufacturing techniques will be used to fabricate prototype fasteners, joints, and panels for the built environment. The project will also develop outreach activities to engage and recruit diverse citizen scientists and researchers with a design competition to introduce living materials into a ?living? room.

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.

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