Gordon Research Conference: Protein Folding Dynamics and Gordon-Kenan Graduate Seminar to be held on January 6-13, 2006 in Ventura, California

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

The PI will organize a Gordon Research Conference on Protein Folding Dynamics and the first Gordon-Kenan Graduate Research Seminar in Protein Folding Dynamics, which is a workshop for graduate students and postdocs addressing the methods and models of protein folding. The meetings will take place at the Four Points Sheraton Harbortown, Ventura, California, January 6-13, 2006. Protein folding is a multidisciplinary area of research addressing one of the fundamental problems in biology. Understanding the dynamical and energetic features of folding are keys to elucidating issues of protein function and design. Consequently, few other fields have seen such a successful blend of physical and biological sciences. Progressively, more studies that bring together experiment and theory are being published, and this combination is advancing our fundamental quantitative understanding of the folding process. Technological and theoretical advances have altered our view of the how protein folding occurs. Fast events can be observed experimentally on timescales that approach those accessible by all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. New, sophisticated "simple" models of proteins allow ensemble kinetics to be sampled and compared to experiment. This Gordon Research Conference in Protein Folding Dynamics, is a relatively new conference, set up to specifically bring experiment and theory together to explore advances in the field. The Gordon-Kenan Graduate Research Seminar in Protein Folding Dynamics is a new meeting being organized as a satellite to the GRC in Protein Folding Dynamics. This workshop will serve as a venue for graduate students and postdoctoral scientists to develop background on current techniques, theories and models of protein folding. The involvement and inclusion of young and developing scientists represents a key objective in our vision to provide this vibrant multi-disciplinary research area with scientists who are broadly based in both experimental protein folding methodologies and the models and theories that provide a basis for the interpretation of experiment in this field. This conference is supported by the Molecular Biophysics Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Division of Physics in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate.