NSF awards Iowa researchers including Dordt faculty $20 million to build advanced biomanufacturing capacity

Dordt University will serve as the lead institution for a state-wide program on networked research experiences for undergraduates. Dordt is one of several Iowa institutions where researchers will collaborate to build the knowledge, infrastructure, and capacity for the state to be a leader in advanced biomanufacturing.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) will provide support in the form of a five-year, $20 million grant from the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to researchers across the state of Iowa who will work to adapt and modernize the concept of “chemurgy,” a term coined by agricultural scientist and inventor George Washington Carver to describe applied chemistry that produces industrial materials from crops. The project is known as Chemurgy 2.0.

“Dordt University’s history of developing high quality, mentored summer experiences for undergraduate research students will provide a strong connection between the EPSCoR research projects and primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) in Iowa,” says Dr. Manuela A.A. Ayee-Leong, associate professor of chemical engineering, who will conduct research as part of this endeavor.

Researchers from Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, and Central College will also participate.

This statewide network will expand the reach of EPSCoR research to include students and projects at institutions across the state. The outreach and promotional efforts for the undergraduate research program will be led and facilitated by Ayee-Leong, who will also serve as a research mentor within the biomacromolecules research focus area of this EPSCoR project. The implementation of the REU program will be coordinated by Angela Kroeze Visser, director of the Kielstra Center at Dordt University.

“This EPSCoR project provides a framework for building lasting connections between diverse sectors of the Iowa scientific research, education, and business communities,” says Ayee-Leong. “In particular, for Dordt University and other PUIs in Iowa, this project will provide a vital opportunity to actively participate in the integration of bioscience research with advanced manufacturing as we work together with other institutions to make the state of Iowa a leader in the field of advanced biomanufacturing.”

Kroeze-Visser says the contacts that Ayee-Leong fosters as part of the biomacromolecules research group and the connections to larger statewide initiatives involving biomanufacturing workforce development programs, internships, and partnerships with other research labs will be invaluable.

“Partnering with other institutions offers our faculty an opportunity to collaborate on projects that require a larger-scale investment of time and infrastructure than is possible at a single institution,” she adds. “The Chemurgy 2.0 projects require expertise from across a wide range of disciplines and provide an opportunity for faculty members to work within research teams that require their unique disciplinary expertise.”

To learn more, read Iowa State University’s press release on Chemurgy 2.0.

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.