{"id":24981,"date":"2023-12-13T12:20:52","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T17:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/?p=24981"},"modified":"2023-12-13T15:11:07","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T20:11:07","slug":"accelerating-the-future-of-innovation-in-science-and-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/accelerating-the-future-of-innovation-in-science-and-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Accelerating the Future of Innovation in Science and Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

When it comes to navigating the future of scientific discovery, NC State sits in the driver\u2019s seat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On January 11-12, 2024, the Integrative Sciences Initiative will host the FUTURE Labs Workshop<\/a>, designed to discuss the progress and future of self-driving labs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SDLs integrate artificial intelligence (AI), lab automation and robotics to revolutionize experimental sciences and scientific research. NC State\u2019s mission in this area is to establish Universal SDL Testbeds for physical and life sciences as the foundation of research and educational infrastructure for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAddressing global challenges in renewable energy, sustainability and healthcare through technological innovations necessitates a critical examination of our current approaches to experimental sciences. It is imperative to enhance efficiency and speed of materials and molecular discovery in order to expedite impactful progress,\u201d said Milad Abolhasani, associate professor, ALCOA Scholar and University Faculty Scholar in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and workshop chair. \u201cAt the FUTURE Labs Workshop, we will discuss how autonomous labs can reduce the time-to-solution by 100x-1000x in chemistry and materials sciences and will chart a roadmap towards the next era of SDLs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Workshop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The workshop will be held at the StateView Hotel on Centennial Campus. On the first day, the first session will cover \u201cBasic Science Questions in SDLs and Full Autonomy\u201d and the second session will cover \u201cPartnership with Industry and SDL Standards.\u201d On the second day of the workshop, the third session will cover \u201cDistributed vs. Centralized SDLs and Workforce Development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Event sponsors include the National Science Foundation, Eastman Chemical Company, the College of Engineering, the College of Sciences, the Integrative Sciences Initiative and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plenary speakers<\/a> are Jeff Carbeck, Vice President of Corporate Innovation at Eastman, and Klavs F. Jensen, Warren K. Lewis Professor of Chemical Engineering and professor of materials science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Eastman and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering have partnered to accelerate the development of specialty chemicals that improve manufactured products and processes by building a self-driving catalysis lab at NC State. For five years, the department and Eastman have collaborated to integrate advancements in AI, catalysis and robotics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n