NSF Convergence Accelerator Workshop on Re-Think Nature for Innovative Solutions to Grand Challenges
Session 1: Convergence research for nature-inspired solutions to replacement for petroleum-based plastics
Date/time: 1:00-4:00 pm US eastern time, Wednesday, 30 September 2020
1:00 pm Teng Li, University of Maryland
2:40 pm Robert Briber, Interim Dean, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland
Session 1: Convergence research for nature-inspired solutions to replacement for petroleum-based plastics
Date/time: 1:00-4:00 pm US eastern time, Wednesday, 30 September 2020
1:00 pm Teng Li, University of Maryland
- Opening remarks
- Overview of NSF Convergence Accelerator Program
- Breaking the Plastic Wave, Jim Palardy, The Pew Charitable Trusts
- Upcycling Plastics with Bio-based Building Blocks, Nicholas Rorrer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Convergent Rubber Science and Engineering, Katrina Cornish, Ohio State University
- Structure-led engineering of natural enzymes to tackle plastic pollution, John McGeehan, University of Portsmouth
- Untapped Resources - Driving Fashion with Science, Julie Willoughby, Tyton Bioscience
2:40 pm Robert Briber, Interim Dean, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland
- Welcome remark
- Redesigning Polyethylene for Chemical Recycling to Monomeres and Biodegradability, Richard Gross, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Materials from Lignin to Enable the Circular Economy, Mahdi Abu-Omar, Spero Renewables/UCSB
- Characteristics of scalable replacement for plastics, Winnie Lau, The Pew Charitable Trusts
- Industrial Ecology: Materials Design through Biomimicry, John Dorgan, Michigan State University
Session 2: Convergence research for advanced materials for sustainable infrastructure
Date/time: 1:00-4:30 pm US eastern time, Friday, 2 October 2020
1:00 pm Teng Li, University of Maryland
3:15 -4:15 pm Invited lightening talks (Part 2)
Date/time: 1:00-4:30 pm US eastern time, Friday, 2 October 2020
1:00 pm Teng Li, University of Maryland
- Overview of NSF Convergence Accelerator Program and our workshop focus
- Wood Nanotechnologies, Liangbing Hu, University of Maryland
- Material innovations for a circular infrastructure economy, Jason Ren, Princeton University
- Making ends meet: the future of forest products, Medhi Tajvidi, University of Maine
- Sustainable Materials and Vehicle Lightweighting, Alan Luo, Ohio State University
- High Volume Bio-derived Renewable Composite Feedstocks for Big Area Additive Bio-Manufacturing, Soydan Ozcans, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Systems Modeling Approaches to Support Decision-Making for Sustainable Materials, Yuan Yao, Yale University
3:15 -4:15 pm Invited lightening talks (Part 2)
- Mechanics of cellulose nanomaterials across length scales, Ashlie Martini, University of California, Merced
- Material and Process Innovation for Clean Water, Baoxia Mi, University of California, Berkeley
- Wood industry, processing and scale up, Sheldon Shi, North Texas University
- Understanding Emergent Properties of Lignocellulosic Materials through Multiscale Modeling, Peter Ciesielski, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Sustainable fractionation of lignocelluloses, JY Zhu, USDA Forest Product Laboratory
- Sustainable materials for automotive applications, Alper Kiziltas, Ford