**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PULSES ARE PLANT FOODS THAT INCLUDE, FOR EXAMPLE, COMMON BEANS, CHICKPEAS, MUNG BEANS, AND SEVERAL VARIETIES OF LENTILS. THEY ARE HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS, CONTAINING A HIGH CONTENT OF PROTEINS, COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES, MINERALS SUCH AS IRON AND ZINC, AND VITAMINS, BUT ARE LOW IN CALORIES AND FAT. THE PLANTS OF PULSES HAVE DEEP ROOTS AND THUS REQUIRE LESS WATER TO GROW COMPARED TO OTHER CROPS, AND THEY DO NOT REQUIRE NITROGEN FERTILIZERS BECAUSE OF NITROGEN-FIXING PROPERTIES THAT NATURALLY INCREASE SOIL FERTILITY. IN THIS PROJECT, WE AIM TO INCREASE THE CONSUMPTION OF PULSES AS A HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLE, AND AFFORDABLE FOOD SOURCE THROUGH NOVEL 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES. 3D PRINTING REFERS TO THE CREATION OF OBJECTS IN A LAYER-BY-LAYER MANNER BASED ON DIGITAL COMPUTER FILES. 3D PRINTING HAS ALREADY BEEN ADOPTED BY AEROSPACE, PHARMACEUTICAL, AND AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES. THE 3D PRINTING INDUSTRY HAS BEEN GROWING EXPONENTIALLY, EXCEEDING $7.3 BILLION AS OF 2018, AND IS EXPECTED TO TOP $36 BILLION BY 2024. HOWEVER, THE ADOPTION OF 3D PRINTING FOR FOOD APPLICATIONS REMAINS STAGNANT BECAUSE OF A NUMBER OF TECHNICAL CHALLENGES THAT WILL BE ADDRESSED IN THIS PROJECT.IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL ENGINEER AND PRODUCE PULSE-BASED FOOD PRODUCTS WITH NOVEL TEXTURES AND CUSTOMIZED NUTRITIONAL PROFILE TO MEET INDIVIDUAL'S REQUIREMENTS, USING A SPECIALLY DESIGNED, STATE-OF-THE-ART 3D PRINTER. PULSES HAVE BEEN SPECIFICALLY CHOSEN AS THE BASE FEEDSTOCK MATERIALS FOR 3D PRINTING BECAUSE THEY ARE A NUTRIENT-DENSE FOOD, HIGH IN PROTEIN AND DIETARY FIBERS. DIFFERENT TYPES OF PULSES WILL BE STUDIED AND EVALUATED FOR 3D PRINTING. FURTHER, WE WILL APPLY MATHEMATICAL MODELS AND ADVANCED MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS WITH THE UNIQUE ABILITY TO USE DATA FROM PRINTING EXPERIMENTS TO AUTOMATICALLY LEARN HOW TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY AND RELIABILITY OF THE PRINTING PROCESS. SUCCESSFULLY 3D PRINTED FOODS WILL BE EVALUATED THROUGH CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH FOOD SCIENTISTS FROM THE US ARMY COMBAT CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMAND SOLDIER CENTER (CCDC-SC), NATICK, MA.THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE THE CONSUMPTION OF PULSES BY DEMONSTRATING HOW THE LATEST 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY CAN BE APPLIED TO TRANSFORM THEM INTO NOVEL FOOD PRODUCTS WITH EXCELLENT SHELF LIFE, CUSTOMIZABLE NUTRITIONAL PROFILE, AND DESIRABLE SENSORY ATTRIBUTES. A NUMBER OF SOCIETAL BENEFITS WILL BE REALIZED THROUGH THIS PROJECT. FIRST, THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE FOOD THAT WILL MEET AN INDIVIDUAL'S ENERGY AND NUTRIENT NEEDS AS WELL AS FLAVOR AND TEXTURE PREFERENCES WILL HELP PROMOTE A HEALTHIER LIFE STYLE. TAILORED NUTRITION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO INCREASE HEALTHY EATING ACROSS ALL SECTORS OF THE POPULATION AND TO MITIGATE MALNUTRITION IN CERTAIN POPULATIONS. SECOND, BY MAKING THE 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY MORE ACCESSIBLE, CONSUMERS WILL BE ABLE TO EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT FOOD FORMS AT HOME, FOSTERING CREATIVITY IN THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS AND CHANGING THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH PULSE-BASED PRODUCTS. THIRD, 3D FOOD PRINTERS CAN FUNCTION AS STANDALONE FOOD PRODUCTION SYSTEMS THAT COULD BE USED IN DISASTER RELIEF SITUATIONS AND AUSTERE ENVIRONMENTS. LASTLY, THE 3D FOOD PRINTING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED IN THIS PROJECT CAN POTENTIALLY BE ADAPTED FOR USING A WIDE VARIETY OF SUSTAINABLE FEEDSTOCK MATERIALS.