Workshop on Rules of Life: Complexity in Algal Systems; Washington, D.C.; April 2020

题为“生命规则：藻类系统的复杂性”的讲习班将于2020年春季在华盛顿特区地区举行。研讨会议程侧重于细胞工程和合成生物学方法，以更好地了解藻类生物学。本次活动由来自美国顶尖大学和国家实验室的藻类生物学和养殖领域的世界领袖参加。这次研讨会是藻类研究界确定与藻类系统有关的新的研究趋势和需求的绝佳机会。这次会议将提供一个积极探索将工程科学与生命科学相结合的方法的场所，鼓励多学科领域的研究和开发，面向下一代青年科学家，并支持尖端科学来应对当前和未来的挑战。藻类在生物产品、整体食品和补充剂以及生物燃料的大规模培养中的生长具有巨大的潜力，但藻类的巨大多样性以及我们对藻类生物学、生物化学和池塘生态学的缺乏了解带来了相当大的挑战。研讨会讨论的主题将集中在为下游应用创造有用的藻类菌株的基础技术的开发。研讨会将举行关于藻类生物学、微生物组动力学、途径工程以及开发遗传工具包以促进该领域发展的会议。研讨会的会议记录将发表在领先的同行评议的藻类生物学研究杂志上，作为向研究界广泛传播信息的一种手段。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The workshop entitled, "Rules of Life: Complexity in Algal Systems" will be held in the Washington, D.C. area during the Spring of 2020. The workshop agenda focuses on cellular engineering and synthetic biology approaches to better understand algal biology. This event features world leaders in algal biology and cultivation from premier U.S. universities and national laboratories. This workshop is an excellent opportunity for the algal research community to identify emerging research trends and needs related to algal systems. The meeting will provide a venue for robust exploration of means to integrate the engineering sciences with the life sciences, to encourage research and development in multidisciplinary areas, to the next generation of young scientists, and to support cutting edge science to answer current and future challenges.The growth of algae in mass culture for bioproducts, whole food and supplements, and biofuels has enormous potential, but the great diversity of algae and our lack of understanding of algal biology, biochemistry, and pond ecology creates a considerable challenge. The workshop discussion topics will focus on the development of foundational technologies for creating useful algal strains for downstream applications. The workshop will hold sessions on algal biology, microbiome dynamics, pathway engineering, and the development of a genetic toolkit to advance the field. The workshop proceedings will be published in a leading peer-reviewed algal biology research journal as a means to disseminate the information widely to the research community.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.