Microbiomes consist of diverse microorganisms and viruses that exist in every environment on Earth ranging from the deep ocean to human skin. Microbiomes are highly complex since they contain hundreds to thousands of members and change as a function of time, space and environmental context. By compartmentalizing functions in different organisms and coordinating these activities, microbial communities can perform bio-transformations more efficiently than single populations. Environmental perturbations can alter the composition and functions of microbiomes. Microbiome engineering aims to design targeted interventions to predictably alter microbiome properties or wire together interacting microbial strains with desired functions from the bottom-up for biotechnological, agricultural and therapeutic applications. It is within this framework that the 3rd International Conference on Microbiome Engineering is designed. The conference will occur December 7-8, 2020 making use of a virtual delivery platform. This international conference brings in experts in industry and academia worldwide to discuss the challenges in microbiome engineering and the future of the field. The conference is the third in the series, following the success of the previous ones held in 2018 and 2019. The 3rd International Conference on Microbiome Engineering provides a venue for: (1) Scientific presentations from a diverse group of researchers on an interactive virtual platform, (2) Encouraging active participation by graduate and undergraduate researchers who represent the future of the field, (3) Bringing scientists and engineers together to provide an atmosphere and venue to discuss their disciplines and approaches, and to motivate new research directions that would overcome barriers limiting the development of microbiome modeling and engineering. (4) Focus on increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering.
The 3rd International Conference on Microbiome Engineering aims to create a platform for the sharing of groundbreaking knowledge in the field. The conference draws attendees from academia as well as industry to allow new knowledge from the laboratory to potentially be utilized to manufacture new products. The conference allows for active participation with question and answer sessions as well as a panel discussion. The networking opportunities at the conference allow attendees to exchange their ideas and fosters an environment for future collaborations.
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.
