The workshop entitled, "Rules of Life: Complexity in Algal Systems" will be held in the Washington, D.C. area during the Spring of 2020. The workshop agenda focuses on cellular engineering and synthetic biology approaches to better understand algal biology. This event features world leaders in algal biology and cultivation from premier U.S. universities and national laboratories. This workshop is an excellent opportunity for the algal research community to identify emerging research trends and needs related to algal systems. The meeting will provide a venue for robust exploration of means to integrate the engineering sciences with the life sciences, to encourage research and development in multidisciplinary areas, to the next generation of young scientists, and to support cutting edge science to answer current and future challenges.
The growth of algae in mass culture for bioproducts, whole food and supplements, and biofuels has enormous potential, but the great diversity of algae and our lack of understanding of algal biology, biochemistry, and pond ecology creates a considerable challenge. The workshop discussion topics will focus on the development of foundational technologies for creating useful algal strains for downstream applications. The workshop will hold sessions on algal biology, microbiome dynamics, pathway engineering, and the development of a genetic toolkit to advance the field. The workshop proceedings will be published in a leading peer-reviewed algal biology research journal as a means to disseminate the information widely to the research community.
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.
