2020 Bioinspired Materials GRC/GRS
Abstract
The interdisciplinary field of Bioinspired Materials focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of the synthesis, directed self-assembly and hierarchical organization of naturally occurring materials, and uses this understanding to engineer new bioinspired artificial materials for diverse applications.The Gordon Research Conference on Bioinspired Materials will take place June 7-12, 2020 at Les Diablerets Conference Center, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, and seeks to capture the excitement of this burgeoning field with a cutting-edge scientific program and roster of distinguished invited speakers and discussion leaders who will address the key issues in the field. Invited speakers represent a variety of scientific disciplines, including biochemistry, chemistry, materials science and engineering and bioengineering. The Conference is intended to promote cross-disciplinary fertilization of ideas, define new directions, and create a cohesive community by promoting interactions between junior scientists with prominent senior investigators. The areas of research are in direct alignment with important programmatic initiatives at the ONR, as articulated https://www.onr.navy.mil/our-research/technology-areas, particularly divisions 341 (Bio-inspired Autonomous Motion) and 342 (Biomaterials and Bionanotechnology), and therefore we request support for this meeting from ONR. Themes include a) Protocells ~ synthetic cells that have the structural organization of real cells, but are made of novel synthetic components and can be designed to respond - secrete or crawl ~ in response to stimuli, for biological or non-biological purposes; b) Adaptive Matter ~ to make materials from biological components or inspired by biological components that can adapt and respond mechanically or chemically to environmental conditions; c) Self-Assembly ~ biological molecules and their derivatives have the unique ability to assemble in ordered hierarchies, and make assemblies of novel topology, organization and function.Our objectives are to: 1) Create a scientific program that focuses on fundamental research in Bioinspired Materials Science and the myriad applications that stem from this fundamental research. 2) Bring together a diverse group of speakers that is comprised of widely acknowledged thought leaders as well as young faculty who are notable for the novelty and quality of their work. We will combine this group of speakers with dynamic discussion leaders who will provide insightful and orchestrate discussions that draw in the diverse group of attendees. Speakers and discussion leaders will encompass materials scientists, bioengineers, physicists, chemists and biologists working in Bioinspired Materials, with a gender diversity typical of researchers working in the field. 3) Promote cross-disciplinary fertilization of new ideas in Bioinspired Materials through the unique format of GRCs, which are a mixture of formal oral presentations, in-depth discussion and informal networking, ideally suited to unite the scientists from different disciplines working in this area who would otherwise not intersect on the traditional conference circuit. 4) Create a sense of community by promoting interaction between young and underrepresented scientists and junior faculty with prominent senior investigators in the field through the oral and poster sessions, and through informal interactions such as social activities during the afternoon and evening. 5) Nurture the future researchers of the field by offering a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), which will precede the GRC and will offer students and postdocs with comparable levels of education and experience the opportunity to gather, present and discuss their research findings. 6) Nurture discussion of the unique challenges of women in science in general and in this field in general with a Power Hour devoted to ~Strategies for leveling the playing field for the advancement of women in science.~Conference Information: TI
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 16, 2019
- Source ID
- N000142012070
Entities
People
- Daniel Hammer
Organizations
- Gordon Research Conferences
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy