NSF Award
2429041
The 30th International Conference on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming (DNA30) is the premier forum where scientists come together to advance molecular-scale engineering and biology. This interdisciplinary conference bridges computation, biology, and nanotechnology and attracts top researchers in the fields of computer science, mathematics, chemistry, molecular biology, and engineering. This support will give a new generation of molecular programming researchers the opportunity to present their work and interact with students and senior researchers from other institutions. The scope of topics include: control of molecular folding and self-assembly of nano- and micro-structures; demonstration of biomolecular switches and circuits that process chemical information in vitro and in cells; molecular motors and molecular robots; studies of fault-tolerance and error correction in molecular self-assembly and molecular computation; synthetic biology and molecular evolution; DNA data storage; and software tools for analysis, simulation, and design of molecular structures and circuits. These topics have applications spanning engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and education.<br/><br/>DNA30 will be held at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD on September 16-20, 2024. Conference organizers will support travel of up to 25 students and post-doctoral researchers who are either US citizens or enrolled at US institutions. Trainees who plan to present their work at the conference will be prioritized for awards and especially those from institutions that would otherwise be unable to afford conference attendance and members of groups underrepresented in STEM research. The awards will support registration, travel, and accommodations for students. The availability of this support will foster diverse conference attendance, fostering the unique perspectives required to advance human knowledge and develop new technologies.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
