This award provides partial support of the 2006 Gordon Research Conference on Bioanalytical Sensors and the associated Gordon-Kenan Graduate Research Seminar. The Conference will be held in Ventura, CA, February 26th-March 3rd, 2006, and the Graduate Research Seminar will take place over the two days preceding the conference. Funds provided through the award will be used to support the travel and conference fee expenses for young scientists (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and assistant professors) active in the field of bioanalytical sensors who will participate in the conference or in the graduate research seminar, either as an invited speaker or as a presenter of a contributed poster. Only those who would otherwise be unable to attend the conference will receive financial assistance. The conference program addresses nucleic acid and molecular probes, diagnostic application of nanoparticles, biosensing arrays, and biosensors for identification of microbes. The program includes one session that highlights the contributions of scientists early in their careers. Discussion leaders are responsible for initiating and maintaining a vigorous, all-inclusive discussion following each talk. The conference represents a significant opportunity to promote diversity in the field of bioanalytical sensing. The invited participants include young scientists and members of groups underrepresented in the fields of chemistry and/or biology, including women and Hispanics. The associated Gordon-Kenan Graduate Research Seminar is an innovative approach to increasing the involvement of graduate and postdoctoral trainees in the Conference. The seminar will include 13 invited presentations and discussions of career development led by experts from the academic, industrial, and governmental sectors. Presenters will be selected by a panel composed of the conference co-chairs, the vice chair, and the student organizers. Other trainees will present posters at the seminar and conference. All participants will present their posters during the Conference.
