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On demand material behavior, or functionality, has long been a target in modern engineering. The ability to design, synthesize, generate, control, and predict the response of functional materials and structures is an overarching goal pulling together expertise and ideas from various subfields. The fundamental scientific questions probed are different depending on whether you are a chemist, materials scientist, or aerospace engineer. From programmable materials and structures to integrated computing and evolutionary materials, reaching this target on a grand scale will require the early integration of science and engineering. Advances in data sciences has created the potential for us to accelerate the rate of knowledge transfer across the traditional boundaries as well as fundamentally change the way we carry out research. In this presentation, we discuss research trends in functional materials from the CMMI Mechanics of Materials and Structures program perspective. We will show recent examples from synthetic biology to metamaterials to soft robotics where many opportunities and challenges remain. We will discuss the role of data sciences and interdisciplinary teaming in carrying innovation across length and time scales and towards truly transformative research. Relevant NSF funding opportunities that are sparsely used by the community will be shared. Finally, we point to future directions for technological innovations powered by functional materials.
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