An international symposium, "RNA in Motion" will be held at Iowa State University (ISU), September 9-12, 2010. The Symposium focuses on molecular motion of RNA and will feature 18 invited speakers of international renown and about 10 short talks selected from submitted abstracts. The Symposium is the latest in a series of annual symposia held at this venue to provide students, postdoctoral associates and young investigators opportunities to interact with established investigators.
Intellectual Merit: RNA molecular motion is fundamental to its biological activity. Recent advances in techniques to study the motions of individual RNA molecules in realistic settings have spurred rapid research progress. The session topics for the Symposium are: 1) Ribosomes; 2) Viral RNAs; 3) Functional RNAs and molecular motors; 4) Small RNAs: Riboswitches, ribozymes and aptamers; and 5) RNA conformational analysis, folding and simulations of molecular motion. There will be a poster session and social activities to promote interactions. The Symposium is organized to maximize formal and informal communication by alternating plenary talks, poster sessions, roundtable discussions, and social events so as to encouraging speakers to interact with junior investigators and trainees. It is anticipated that the exchange of new ideas and methods will benefit all participants and will stimulate new collaborations that could lead to exciting new research developments. Anticipated outcomes are new fundamental understanding of the molecular basis of RNA biological function and new applications of RNA to nanotechnology and genetic engineering to meet national needs in agriculture, energy, and health.
Broader Impact: This symposium will educate the participants in state-of-the-art methods for studying molecular motion. Speakers will address emerging technologies that are providing new ways for investigating RNA molecules and the role of motion in their function. The Symposium will provide a significant training opportunity for students and postdoctoral trainees. Prior to the main program, an introductory workshop will be presented by members of the symposium organizing committee and selected speakers for the benefit of students and all other interested participants who are new to the research area. A reading list will be posted prior to the symposium. Relaxed social venues will be provided to encourage established investigators to discuss career options with new investigators and trainees.
Given the importance of molecular motion to function and the increased recognition of the involvement of RNA in a broad range of cellular functions, these topics should interest a wide range of scientists, students and postdoctoral fellows. NSF funding will be used to support travel and registration for students and postdoctoral fellows, especially to allow members of under-represented minority groups to participate. To ensure attendance by members of under-represented groups, targeted mailings of announcements were sent to colleagues at historically black colleges and at universities with large percentages of students from under-represented groups, including Tuskegee University, San Jose State University, New Mexico State University, and University of California Channel Islands.
A symposium entitled "RNA in Motion" was held Sept 9 - 12, 2010 in Ames, IA with support from NSF grant no. 1051746. The main goal of the symposium was to provide an opportunity for scientists and students to meet and discuss the role of molecular motion in the functions of RNA molecules. Although movement is important for the proper function of RNA molecules that are involved in maintaining normal cellular function, as well as for RNA molecules involved in viral and other diseases, it has not previously been the focus of a national meeting. To facilitate further research in this emerging field, twenty leading experts were invited to present their ongoing research. Other meeting attendees, representing 35 universities and institutions from around the world, were given an opportunity to present their newest research in short talks or in poster sessions. The symposium was designed to promote informal discussion and interaction, to help foster collaborations among participants and create connections for graduate students and new investigators. A class was taught around the topic of the symposium and a SACNAS social gathering was associated with the symposium, held during a poster session. Travel grants allowed students and new researchers to attend. Abstracts are available on-line to promote dissemination of information beyond the meeting attendees.
