Creation of POLS-SAVI Node at the University of Maryland

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

Project: This is a project to create a POLS-SAVI node at the University of Maryland (UMD). This node, which was conceived during the early stages of the newly created Student Research Network and is vastly expanded under Science Across Virtual Institutes (SAVI) initiative, will also bring in two leading institutions. One is the Technical University of Munich (TUM), which is one of the leading centers in Biophysics in Germany. The other is the National Center for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in India, which enjoys a preeminent stature in the biophysics in the country. These three institutions will add greatly to the POLS-SAVI network both in scientific expertise as well as in the educational aspects. The faculty in the three institutions who will join the POLS-SAVI network bring to bear expertise in a number of areas in biological physics. Among the faculty there is considerable expertise in the basics of equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, which are becoming increasingly important in tackling problems in single molecule force spectroscopy, a tool that is being used to discover the role of mechanical forces in biology. Methods in these areas are key in understanding fluctuation effects in finite systems including various metabolic and gene networks. On the experimental side both in TUM and UMD a variety of problems probing the response of forces from single molecule to cellular level are being performed using a variety of techniques. Research is also being carried out to understand interactions between proteins and how such interactions are involved in signaling networks. The three universities also focus on functions of molecular machines, mechanics of cytoskeletal networks, the role of membranes in biological functions, and gene networks. Thus, from a scientific perspective UMD, TUM, and NCBS are involved in researches covering the gamut of temporal and length scales. These topics add to and enhance the scope of issues that are being covered by other participating institutions. All three institutions are also deeply involved in educating students in this new emerging area. The collective experience gathered in the three continents will also be useful as the institutions in the network prepare to develop new curriculum. The major scientific benefit of leveraging the entire resources of the network will enable the participants to vastly expand their ability to conduct research by learning from the expertise available in the network rather than be limited by the tools available in one's home institution. In addition, the proposed video conferencing throughout the year between the students and the annual meeting in different venues add to invaluable educational experience in enhancing the scope of training in the POLS. Third, the international scope of the proposed network will have a world-wide impact on the scientific aspect by fostering many potentially powerful collaborations. The three institutions will aid in achieving the basic mission of the POLS-SAVI network, which in turn will have substantial impact on the development, use and application of quantitative methods in biological problems. This project is being supported jointly by the Physics of Living Systems Program in the Physics Division and by the Molecular Biophysics Program in Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences.