Baton Rouge, Louisiana (AP)-Five universities in Louisiana received a US$20 million federal grant to design complex alloys and polymers for 3D printing and establish sustainable development in Louisiana Research and Education Programs.
The new Louisiana Materials Design Alliance includes Louisiana State University, Louisiana State Polytechnic University, Tulane University, Southern University, and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
The statement said new materials are needed to produce metal and plastic products with fewer defects and longer life.
“This game-changing work is at the frontiers of science, engineering, and education. We are committed to connecting our research discoveries to industry, so they can have real-world impacts,” said Michael Khonsari, the board’s associate commissioner for research an LSU professor and project director for the alliance.
The board of directors will coordinate the project, which will use advanced machine learning to study the characteristics of the new materials and test their response to pressure and heat during the manufacturing process.
“Any trial and error in the lab would take days and years of design. This is why the team will use machine learning to figure out what type of materials to use, and how to optimize them. Essentially, LAMDA will develop a framework for material design guided by machine learning,” Khonsari said.
Louisiana State University said in a press release that the grant will pay 14 new faculty members of these five universities.
In addition to their research, the college will also develop new courses and student-led research projects to increase Louisiana’s STEM workforce.
This includes summer training programs to teach 3-D printing methods and software to teachers at community colleges so that they can pass information to students.