Conference: 12th International Conference on Biomolecular Engineering

This grant will make it possible for 13 graduate students and 6 early career faculty to attend the 12th International Conference on Biomolecular Engineering (ICBE) to be held in Santa Barbara, CA on January 8-11, 2023. Biomolecular engineering utilizes powerful and versatile tools for advancing science and engineering in applications ranging from the design of new biocatalysts to directing microbiomes to identify and destroy viral and microbial pathogens. The ICBE conference series was initiated in 2007 to foster interaction among academic, national laboratory, and industrial molecular researchers developing and applying molecular engineering methods. This conference will feature 24 plenary speakers, three keynote speakers, and a poster session. With no parallel sessions, the meeting structure is designed to encourage interaction between established and early career researchers and promote mentoring of the latter. Also, the selection of invited speakers represents a high level of diversity. The organizing theme of the conference is the question: How can biomolecular engineering address grand challenges in healthcare, energy and the environment? Biomolecular engineering provides the potential to revolutionize many different industries and positively impact of society. For example, advances in biomolecular engineering are aimed at developing more efficient and sustainable methods of producing food, fuels, and chemicals. In the medical field, biomolecular engineering has led to the development of new drugs, diagnostic tests, and therapies that can help treat and cure diseases. Additionally, biomolecular engineering has the potential to help address global challenges such as climate change and the need for clean energy. The Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (ENG/CBET), and the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (BIO/MCB) contributed funds to this award. 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.