ERVA is seeking Thematic Task Force member nominees for its visioning event, Leveraging Biology to Power Engineering Impact, which will be held March 9-10, 2022. Nominees will have the opportunity to shape the content of the visioning event, curate a list of participants, and ultimately drive the resulting report that will spur the community's pursuit of innovative, high-impact research in the biology/engineering domain. The time commitment includes attending weekly, one-hour planning calls leading up to the event, the event itself, and post-event meetings as needed through report publication.
We request that experts at the nexus of biology and engineering express interest in being considered for selection as a Thematic Task Force member or participant for our upcoming visioning event by completing a brief questionnaire by Jan. 5, 2022.
More information about ERVA, the event, and Thematic Task Force member responsibilities are below. Thank you for your kind consideration of nominating yourself or sharing this invitation to collaborate with an appropriate colleague.
BACKGROUND
ERVA Overview: ERVA is an NSF-funded, interdisciplinary platform launched in April 2021 to provide the engineering community with a process for identifying bold and high-impact engineering research directions that will place the U.S. in a leading position to realize a better future for all. Specifically, ERVA convenes multi-sector and cross-disciplinary engineering researchers, practitioners, and technologists to work jointly to solve the most challenging problems of modern society. Addressing today’s critical scientific and societal challenges requires increasingly collaborative, cross-disciplinary and convergent approaches through new modes of engagement to ensure broad participation across the entire engineering ecosystem — and ERVA was formed to create this convergent network.
Visioning Event Goal: The interface of biology and engineering continues to provide incredibly rich opportunities for impact as well as mutual advancement for both fields. The application of engineering principles of design and analysis to biological systems and biomedical technologies has yielded important advances for health care and medicine, manufacturing, agriculture, and other application areas.
Event Timing & Format: The event will be held on two consecutive days (March 9-10, 2022) and will include expert, facilitated discussion and interactive thematic breakout sessions. The event will be held either in person or online via Zoom, with a final decision to be made by early February. If held in person, participants will receive financial support to travel under NSF guidelines.
Thematic Task Force Definition & Responsibilities: To fulfill its mission, ERVA utilizes a small, ad hoc team of interdisciplinary domain experts (called a Thematic Task Force) assembled to work with the ERVA operations team to organize a visioning event around a selected theme. The theme around which the work for this Thematic Task Force will focus is Leveraging Biology to Power Engineering Impact.
Responsibilities include collaborating with ERVA to:
- focus the content planning for the upcoming visioning event;
- select event participants for invitation from nominations received and research intelligence gathered; these participants are experts representing various disciplines who can help ERVA identify less-explored, basic and use-inspired lines of research ripe for engineering community pursuit;
- guide the development of a report (addressing key discussion points, background research intelligence, actionable findings, and identified research directions) to be submitted to NSF and then shared with the engineering community; and
- catalyze action around identified research directions;
as well as availability to:
- attend and contribute as an engaged participant in approximately weekly meetings leading up to the event and as needed through report dissemination; and
- attend the full visioning event, March 9-10, 2022, and contribute to its facilitation.