**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 30-40% OF THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN IS LOST TO WASTE. THIS CRITICAL ISSUE RESULTS IN INEFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES AND INCREASES COSTS. PREMATURE RIPENING, SPOILAGE, AND PRODUCE DAMAGE ARE SOME OF THE PRIMARY CULPRITS FOR FOOD WASTE IN THE US. ADDITIONALLY, SHORT SHELF-LIFE AND BLEMISHED PRODUCE DETER CONSUMERS. ETHYLENE IS A SIMPLE MOLECULE BUT IS A CRITICAL PLANT HORMONE THAT PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE NATURAL RIPENING PROCESS OF CLIMACTERIC FRUIT AND CAN TRIGGER DETERIORATION OF PRODUCES. AS A RESULT, INNOVATIVE APPROACHES FOR ETHYLENE DETECTION ARE CRITICAL TO MEETING THE JOINT USDA-EPA GOAL OF 50% WASTE REDUCTION BY 2030. CURRENT METHODS OF ETHYLENE DETECTION ARE LIMITED BY INSUFFICIENT SENSITIVITY, EXPENSIVE TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS, AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES.THE MICHEL LAB AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED MOLECULAR-BASED ETHYLENE DETECTION STRATEGIES WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR IMPLEMENTATION WITH LITTLE TO NO TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE PART OF THE END USER. HOWEVER, THESE INNOVATIVE APPROACHES HAVE CURRENT LIMITATIONS RANGING FROM STABILITY, NEED FOR LABORATORY EXPERTISE/EVALUATION, AND LIMITED SENSITIVITY. TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES, WE PROPOSE A STRATEGY TO AMPLIFY ETHYLENE DETECTION VIA THE INITIATION OF A CATALYTIC POLYMERIZATION WITH A COLORIMETRIC READOUT THAT OCCURS WHEN LIQUID MONOMERS GEL TO FORM SOLID CROSSLINKED NETWORKS. IN THE INITIAL STAGES OF THIS PROJECT, WE WILL CONDUCT EXPERIMENTS TO IDENTIFY THE PROPER SYSTEM COMPONENTS TO DEMONSTRATE CONCEPTUAL FEASIBILITY AND LAY THE GROUNDWORK TOWARDS A SENSITIVE AND FIELD DEPLOYABLE SYSTEM. LONG TERM, WE HOPE THAT THIS SIMPLE PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY WILL FIND COMMERCIAL APPLICATION FOR THE DETECTION OF ETHYLENE. DEVELOPMENT OF AN ETHYLENE DETECTION STRATEGY WITH IMPROVED SENSITIVITY AND AN INTUITIVE READOUT WOULD DIRECTLY ADDRESS PRIORITIES OF THE NOVEL FOODS AND INNOVATIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM BY IMPROVING FOOD QUALITY AND SHELF-LIFE TO MINIMIZE FOOD WASTE AND LOSS THROUGHOUT THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN.