** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** BIOFILMS CONTAINING PATHOGENIC BACTERIA CAN PERSIST ON FOOD CONTACT SURFACES (FCS) FOR YEARS CAUSING REPEATED CONTAMINATION OF FOOD PRODUCTS. THIS IS A MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR FOOD SAFETY IMPACTING NOT ONLY THE FOOD PROCESSING SECTOR BUT ALSO PUBLIC HEALTH THE ECONOMY AND THE ENVIRONMENT. WHILE ROUTINE CLEANING CAN HELP MITIGATE THIS ISSUE ITS EFFICACY DECLINES ON SURFACES WITH NOOKS AND CRANNIES CONVEYOR BELTS AND RUBBER GASKETS WHERE BIOFILMS MAY FIND SHELTER. AS A RESULT HARMFUL BACTERIA SUCH AS LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES AND SALMONELLA ENTERICA CAN EVADE CLEANING PROCESSES AND LEAD TO FOODBORNE ILLNESS OUTBREAKS PLACING SIGNIFICANT BURDENS ON BOTH HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS AND THE FOOD INDUSTRY. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ENHANCE FOOD SAFETY BY APPLYING MECHANO-BACTERICIDAL (MB) NANOPATTERNS FOUND IN NATURE (E.G. CICADA WINGS) TO FCS THROUGH PRACTICAL NANOFABRICATION METHODS. UNLIKE TRADITIONAL CHEMICAL APPROACHES THESE MB NANOPATTERNS INACTIVATE BACTERIA BY PHYSICALLY RUPTURING THEIR CELLS WITHOUT RELEASING BIOCIDES INTO THE SURROUNDING FOOD. THIS OFFERS A SAFER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO CONTROLLING BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION ON FCS. INITIALLY IN THIS SEED PROJECT WE AIM TO DEVELOP NANOFABRICATION METHODOLOGIES TO CREATE MB NANOPATTERNS ON FLAT STAINLESS STEEL (SS) AND GASKET POLYMER (GP) SURFACES. THESE NANOPATTERNED SURFACES WILL THEN BE EVALUATED FOR THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY AGAINST KEY FOODBORNE PATHOGENS INCLUDING LISTERIA AND SALMONELLA IN MODEL SYSTEMS AS WELL AS REAL FOOD MATRICES.THE PROJECT HAS THREE MAIN GOALS: (1) DEVELOP PRACTICAL METHODS TO CREATE BACTERIA-KILLING SURFACE COATINGS USING STAINLESS STEEL AND GASKET POLYMERS; (2) TEST HOW WELL THESE SURFACES CAN KILL HARMFUL BACTERIA LIKE LISTERIA AND SALMONELLA; AND (3) EVALUATE HOW DURABLE THESE SURFACES ARE INCLUDING THEIR CHEMICAL RESISTANCE MECHANICAL STRENGTH AND HOW EASY THEY ARE TO CLEAN. IF SUCCESSFUL THIS PROJECT COULD PROVIDE A FOUNDATION FOR APPLYING THESE PHYSICS-BASED BACTERIA-KILLING SURFACES TO MORE COMPLEX EQUIPMENT USED IN FOOD PROCESSING SUCH AS CONVEYOR BELTS AND RUBBER GASKETS.