NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009

2009 财年 NSF 少数族裔博士后研究奖学金

• 批准号: 0905948
• 负责人: Elisa Maldonado
• 金额: $ 18.9万
• 依托单位: Maldonado Elisa M
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0905948&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Minority; Postdoctoral; Research; Fellowship

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009 and is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Elisa Maldonado is "Investigating the factors that promote bacterial adhesion using engineered surfaces that mimic echinoderm skin." This research will be conducted at Harvard University under the sponsorship of Dr. Joanna Aizenberg.Bacterial biofilms - thin layers of living cells that coat surfaces - are everywhere in the environment. The initial attachment of bacteria to a surface is a critical stage in biofilm development. However, many organisms such as starfish have surfaces that naturally prevent biofouling. It remains unclear which of the chemical, physical, or mechanical properties of a surface is critical in promoting or preventing bacterial adhesion. It may be that a combination of factors is responsible for the robustness and emergent properties of biofilms. This project is using engineering technology (e.g., novel biomimetic, nanostructured surfaces) that mimic echinoderm skin and present multiple stimuli to determine the interaction of electrical, chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of a surface on bacterial adhesion. This research will simultaneously add to an understanding of the evolution of multicellularity and have applications to the prevention of biofouling. An expected outcome is the development of materials that prevent biofilm formation, applicable to several industries including health, food, and shipping. Training plans include theoretical and technical training in materials science, nanotechnology, and microbiology. This fellowship increases the participation of underrepresented groups at the postdoctoral and undergraduate level.

该行动为2009财年的NSF少数族裔研究奖学金提供了资金，并根据2009年《美国回收与再投资法》（公法111-5）资助。该奖学金支持该研究员的主机实验室的研究和培训计划，该研究员还提出了扩大生物学参与的计划。该研究金的研究和培训计划的标题是“调查使用模仿Echinoderm皮肤的工程表面促进细菌粘附的因素”。这项研究将在哈佛大学的乔安娜·艾森伯格（Joanna Aizenberg）博士的赞助下进行。细菌生物膜 - 涂层表面的活细胞薄层 - 在环境中到处都是。细菌在表面上的初始附着是生物膜发育的关键阶段。但是，许多生物（例如海星）的表面自然可以防止生物污染。尚不清楚表面的哪种化学，物理或机械性能对于促进或预防细菌粘附至关重要。可能是多种因素的组合是造成生物膜的鲁棒性和新兴特性的原因。该项目使用工程技术（例如，新型的仿生，纳米结构表面）模仿棘皮动物皮肤并呈现多种刺激，以确定表面在细菌粘附上的电气，化学，物理和机械性能的相互作用。这项研究将同时了解多细胞性的演变，并在预防生物污染中应用。预期的结果是开发可防止生物膜形成的材料，适用于多个行业，包括健康，食品和运输。培训计划包括材料科学，纳米技术和微生物学的理论和技术培训。这项奖学金增加了代表性不足的团体在博士后和本科级别的参与。