2012 Single Molecule Approaches to Biology Gordon Research Conference in Mt Snow, Vermont, July 15-20, 2012

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

Intellectual Merit The 2012 Single Molecule Approaches to Biology Gordon Research Conference will be held at the Mt Snow Resort in Vermont, July 15-20, 2012. The program will feature novel single molecule applications to study the ribosome, the proteasome, and cell binding reactions, amongst other fundamental biological systems. Single molecule techniques are rapidly occupying a central role in biological research at all levels. The development of robust techniques that use fluorescence and force probes to track the conformation of molecules one at a time, both in vitro as well as in live cells, provides previously unobtainable data on fundamental biochemical processes that are essential for all forms of life. The conference aims to provide an interdisciplinary forum for biologists, physicists, chemists and engineers who have developed single molecule methodologies that can be readily applied to solve important biological problems. The meeting will include topics on single molecule biology, single molecule techniques, theory of single molecules and single molecule simulations. In addition to the oral presentations, there will be poster sessions. Broader Impact Single molecule approaches are changing the way we study biology, complementing the recent advances in genomics and proteomics. Indeed, this emerging paradigm holds the promise of yielding an unprecedented understanding of life down to its smallest constituents. The 2012 Single Molecule Approaches to Biology GRC will provide a combination of world-class speakers and poster sessions that will advance teaching, learning and training in single-molecule approaches to biology. The demographics of past meetings show a broad appeal of this conference to the younger generation and organizers efforts to appeal to a younger audience. At the 2010 meeting, 45% of participants were graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and 72% were younger than 40. The percentage of female speakers for the 2012 meeting has increased, up to 16% from 10% and efforts to secure additional female speakers are being made.