High Pressure Small Angle X-ray Scattering Workshop

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A significant fraction of the microbial biomass on Earth is found in the deep sea and subsurface, yet remarkably little is known about the molecular mechanisms of life under high hydrostatic pressures. This workshop aims to catalyze new interdisciplinary efforts to address this problem by bringing together researchers in deep life biology, extreme biophysics, structural biology, and X-ray instrumentation. The workshop will take place at Cornell University, which is home to the newly operational high-pressure biology beamlines (HP-Bio) at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source. Topics covered will presume no prior knowledge of X-ray methods and will introduce new groups to high-pressure structural biology. The workshop will provide unique educational opportunities with two days of hands-on tutorials on small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data analysis and high-pressure SAXS data collection. Cross-fertilization of ideas and skills will be promoted by a scientific program featuring a diverse group of experts. The participation of young scientists, members of underrepresented groups, and scientists who are new to this growing field will be encouraged and preference will be given to students, postdocs, and other early career investigators. Extremophiles play critical roles in our environment and possess unique abilities with potential for renewable energy and biotechnology applications. These organisms also provide a framework for understanding of how life may have originated on our planet and may exist elsewhere in our solar system. This workshop is funded by the Molecular Biophysics Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in the Biological Sciences Directorate and the Physics of Living Systems Program in the Division of Physics in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate.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.