INTELLECTUAL MERIT: The purpose of this conference is to address the fundamental mechanisms of mineralized tissue formation, the relationship between biomineral structure and function, and biomimetic approaches to materials synthesis. It strives to relate basic research in topical areas of vertebrate, invertebrate, plant, and biomimetic systems to the broader challenges of bio-inspired materials synthesis, skeletal development, pathological mineralization, and tissue engineering. These topical areas and challenges collectively define the field of biomineral research. This field has undergone tremendous growth in the past decade because it lies at the nexus of a convergence between the dual scientific revolutions of the 21st century: nanotechnology and molecular biology. Thus, in addition to continuing themes that dominated the program in the recent past, in 2008 the conference will also include a focus on two interrelated topics: 1) taking inspiration from biomineralization by utilizing macromolecular scaffolds to make nanomaterials, and 2) developing routes towards tissue engineering by interfacing nanomaterials with living systems. These themes will reinforce one of the major strengths of this conference: the interaction between the materials science, biology and biomedical communities. In doing so, it will help to define new research directions at the interfaces between these disciplines that are vital to providing a firm scientific foundation for three major technological challenges for decades to come: carbon management, environmentally benign materials synthesis, and improving quality of life for an aging population.
BROADER IMPACTS: Beyond the societal impacts associated with advancing solutions to the technological challenges cited above, this conference advances broader impacts in three ways. First, like all Gordon Research Conferences, the Biomineralization meeting is designed to bring together a diverse group of researchers in terms of nationality, demographics, and seniority. It includes 33 speakers and discussion leaders from 11 countries as well as 8 speakers to be chosen from young researchers who have submitted poster abstracts. This meeting, in particular, is organized to maximize the interaction between young researchers ? i.e., graduate students, post docs and new faculty ? and more established members of the biomineralization community. Moreover, a concerted effort has been made to include speakers and attendees from many nations and ethnic groups and funding has been earmarked to support attendance by underrepresented groups. Second, because biomineralization is an important area of research in biology, geochemistry and materials science, the program has been purposefully designed to maximize interdisciplinary interactions by including distinguished speakers from all of these fields and by advertising the conference to all three communities. Finally, the beautiful forms that natural biominerals exhibit naturally attract the non-scientific public, both young and old. And its significance for societal issues of human health, environmental protection and new materials are easily grasped. Consequently, it is an excellent subject for public outreach. The Chair of the conference, who is also the Chair of the Materials Research Society (MRS) Nanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) Subcommittee will use discussions with young researchers during the poster sessions at this meeting to recruit science advisors for the national network of research professionals maintained by MRS in support of the NISE network, an NSF funded project led by the nation?s major science museums.
