Biologically Inspired Nanomaterials Workshop

BIOLOGICALLY INSPIRED NANOMATERIALS

Old Main, Penn State: A picture by G. E. Hagen

A cross-disciplinary ICAM WORKSHOP

NOV 12-15’2005, The Penn Stater Conference Hotel

The scope of the workshop includes theory, simulation, and experiments involving nanoscale materials inspired by biological systems. Specifically, the workshop will address the following questions:

1. What has been learned about the molecular interactions between biomolecules and nanomaterials in natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic systems?

2. What theoretical and experimental tools are needed to better understand the interface between natural and synthetic nanomaterials?

3. How can we better mimic nature's solutions in designing the electronic, optical, and architectural components of nanomaterials?

4. How does confinement affect the dynamics of biomolecules in nano-environments?

5. Can changes in the structure and function of biomolecules upon binding to nanomaterials be understood? predicted?

6. Can we design biologically compatible nanomaterials using inspiration from the natural systems that routinely survive extreme environments?

7. How can evolutionary approaches be used in nanomaterial design? How can biologically-inspired adaptive processes be incorporated into nanomaterials design?