Student and Postdoc Travel Support for DNA19

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

This award will support student and postdoctoral scholar travel expenses for the 19th International Meeting on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming (DNA19), which will take place September 23-27, 2013 at Arizona State University. This conference emphasizes topics that bridge computation, biology, and nanotechnology and attracts top researchers in the fields of Computer Science, Mathematics, Chemistry, Molecular Biology, and Nanotechnology. The primary purpose of these funds is to provide assistance to students and postdoctoral scholars who are delivering oral or poster presentations at the conference. The process of selecting the travel award recipients is intended to give priority to women and underrepresented minorities, in addition to supporting quality research presentations. Intellectual merit: The topics of the DNA computing and molecular programming conference include control of molecular folding and self-assembly to construct nanostructures; demonstration of switches, gates, devices, and circuits with biomolecules; molecular motors and molecular robotics; computational processes in vitro and in vivo; studies of fault tolerance and error correction; synthetic biology and in vitro evolution; software tools for analysis, simulation, and design; as well as a range of applications in engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. Scientific discoveries discussed in this conference should eventually produce important new technologies and new nanoscale manufacturing techniques for materials and devices, new medical biosensor and therapeutics, and new models for understanding organization and complexity in biological systems. Broader impact: The travel awards will help to foster the development of the next generation of molecular programmers, by encouraging students and postdocs to attend, present their work, and interact with other important players in the field. There is a unique blend of theory and practice at DNA computing and molecular programming conferences, from a range of academic disciplines. Attending this conference will allow the students and postdocs to gain an understanding of the process of creating and developing novel scientific ideas.