WORKSHOP: Shared Organizing Principles in the Biological and Computing Sciences

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH

Investigators

Abstract

The proposed workshop will provide a forum to stimulate creative thought and?@productive interactions among scientists whose research interests lie at the interface between two diverse and vibrant fields, Computing Science and Biology.?@?@These two scientific communities have a history of mutual influence whereby the?@transfer of ideas, approaches, and technologies has significantly advanced both?@fields. Recently, it has become apparent that a similar set of scientific questions?@are being asked by computer scientists and biologists. The identification and?@articulation of shared organizing principles is the next logical step in the ongoing?@dialogue, and a workshop that brings together leading researchers whose?@research bridges the two fields is an ideal venue to achieve these goals. The?@proposed workshop will include both informational and ?gbrainstorming?h sessions?@in which participants will discuss the current state of the art, key challenges and?@mechanisms to catalyze advances in this important emerging research area.?@?@The specific topics to be covered are (1) information representation and?@processing; (2) networks and communication; (3) system synthesis and design;?@(4) control systems; and (5) learning and adaptation. Intellectual merit: The proposed workshop is an outgrowth of the activities of?@the CISE-BIO Working Group, which is comprised of NSF Program Directors who?@have been meeting for over a year to discuss strategies to promote research at?@the interface between these two Directorates. Through an exploration of the?@above mentioned areas, the proposed workshop seeks to enhance existing?@programs and identify new directions, with the ultimate goal of creating an?@integrated discipline in which shared organizing principles from the Biological and?@Computing Sciences will give rise to new paradigms that are distinct from, yet?@related to, those that drive research in the parent fields. Broader impacts: The proposed workshop will be a true ?gmeeting of minds?h by?@virtue of bringing together a diverse group of scientists who do not normally?@attend the same conferences. In addition to developing a clearer vision for future?@research at the interface between Computing and Biological Science, it is?@expected that specific new collaborations will be forged at the workshop. The?@discussion topics, identified challenges and proposed future directions will be?@disseminated online after the workshop to enhance awareness of these initiatives?@among a broad and diverse audience. This is expected to attract students as?@well as more established scientists to undertake research at the CISE-BIO?@interface.