The 4th BioNanoTox and Applications Research Conference held in Little Rock, Arkansas,October 21-22nd, 2009Abstract Research at the nanoscale pave the path for unforeseen discoveries that will further improve the standards ofdaily life. Many enigmas still remain unanswered in Biology, Nanotechnology, and Toxicology. To shed light, acoordinated effort of various scientific, medical, and government agencies is imperative. One of the hurdles is tocreate an infrastructure allowing such coordinated activity to occur. For that reason, annual multi-professionalconferences are a vital component of such infrastructure. This proposal is directed towards partially supporting the annual conference entitled the 4th BioNanoTox(Biology, Nanotechnology, and Toxicology) and Applications Research Conference held in Little Rock, Arkansas.The proposed conferences will deepen the understanding of the interdisciplinary approach between disciplinessuch as biology, chemistry, bioinformatics, toxicology, nanotechnology, environmental and agricultural sciences toname a few. BioNanoTox conference would be of genuine interest to both the National Center for ToxicologicalResearch (NCTR) and any nanotox working groups within the NCTR. The conferences are aimed at strengthening training and education, fostering collaborations, and initiating newresearch. They will also increase students' awareness of global interdisciplinary approach in BioNanoTox research.To address this, the specific aims are as follows: 1) to bring together U.S. and foreign speakers as well asparticipants regardless of gender and race from multiple disciplines, 2) to encourage women, minorities, andpersons with disabilities to participate. Announcements are posted on the BioNanoTox and other websites, 3) toprovide training experience for undergraduate / graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and young investigators inthe areas relevant to the BioNanoTox. Individuals are encouraged to submit abstracts for brief talks and postersessions as well as research articles, and 4) to disseminate information generated during the conferences throughscientific publications.
The proposed conference will promote better understanding of an interdisciplinary approach between biology, chemistry, bioinformatics, nanotechnology, and toxicology. The recognition of fundamental questions encountered in the development of nanotechnology, their applications in medicine, environmental sciences, and agriculture, associated health consequences and preventive measures, is anticipated as one of the most significant outcomes of this conference.
