NRT: Research Training in Sustainable Packaging and Biodegradable Polymer Composites for the Next Generation of STEM Graduates

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

Current generation packaging materials are made of polymer composites that are derived from petroleum sources. These materials are not degradable and either end up in landfills or are incinerated, releasing toxic gases. Factors such as greater environmental awareness, societal concerns, and the depletion of petrochemical resources collectively drive a desire to develop new materials and products based on plant fibers and degradable biopolymers.

This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to Tuskegee University will establish a multidisciplinary traineeship in Sustainable Nanobiomaterials. The program is a partnership between three doctoral programs to collaboratively develop innovative sustainable biomaterials for biodegradable packaging systems, including biomedical and food packaging.

The project anticipates training 40 students (30 Ph.D. and 10 Masters), including 30 funded trainees, from Materials Science and Engineering, Integrative Biosciences, and Integrative Pathobiology. The Tuskegee NRT effort will produce a large number of minority graduates, including a significant number of women with Ph.D. degrees in STEM. An area of focus for the traineeship includes support and training of faculty to mentor the trainees and provide trainees with training and opportunities to mentor as well.

These graduates will become excellent role models for many young students and help bring much-needed diversity to the nation’s advanced technological workforce in Sustainable Nanobiomaterials.

The multidisciplinary project team will train emerging scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and managers to develop the next generation of sustainable, biodegradable food and medical packaging applications. The trainees will carry out research in: (a) Synthesis of calcium and silica-based nanoparticles from waste resources such as bone ash, fish scales, egg and seashells, (b) Antimicrobial functionalization of nanoparticles and short plant fibers using green synthesis methods, (c) Structural, morphological, and spectral characterization of as-prepared nanoparticles, (d) Fabrication of antimicrobial polymer packaging films using polymer blow films, 3D printing, and solution casting, (e) Nanomechanical, structural, morphological, and thermal characterization of as-prepared polymer composite films, and (f) Antimicrobial inhibition, product design, prototyping, biodegradability, and commercial feasibility studies.

The knowledge and training gained by the trainees will eventually result in new design and manufacturing methodologies. The program emphasizes mentoring at three levels. Students will be co-advised and mentored by a minimum of two faculty members.

Faculty and trainees will be involved in outreach to and mentoring of high school students. Moreover, an annual mentoring workshop will be conducted to provide both faculty and trainees with strategies for effective mentoring. Other professional development activities are also in place to ensure students receive formal and informal preparation in proposal development and technical writing, teamwork, and ethics.

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.

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.