A Workshop on Undergraduate Education in Emerging Technologies at The 15th International Meeting on DNA Computing

纳米技术可能是未来经济的基础。在纳米尺度上构建新材料和新设备的一种潜在方法是使用DNA分子来组装它们。DNA是我们细胞的主要遗传成分，它具有方便的模板匹配特性，允许两个DNA分子结合，从而组装与它们相关的任何组件。此外，这种与DNA的模板匹配反应可以被编程为自下而上构建复杂的结构。第15届DNA计算国际会议是一个论坛，汇集了来自计算机科学、数学、分子生物学、化学和物理学的研究人员，讨论通过使用DNA和其他生物材料的计算范式对物质进行分子尺度的操纵。因此，它有助于为一项对未来具有潜在重要性的技术奠定科学基础。阿肯色州人口拥有本科生或研究生学位的比例是美国最低的之一。为了在未来的经济中竞争，阿肯色州的学生，特别是本科生，需要参与新兴技术的研究和学习，如DNA计算和生物纳米技术。此外，这些新兴技术的工作是高度跨学科的，这不是传统本科教育的常态。第15届DNA计算国际会议的研讨会将汇集这一新兴技术的顶尖研究人员，以及来自阿肯色州本科院校的教师和学生，讨论并促进本科生参与这一领域的工作。主题将包括本科生研究，课程开发，以及教职员工和学生参与资助研究的机会。

Nanotechnology may be a foundation for the economy of the future. A potential way for new materials and devices to be constructed at the nanoscale is to use DNA molecules to assemble them. DNA, the primary genetic component of our cells, has a convenient, template-matching property that allows two DNA molecules to bind, and thus, assemble whatever components with which they are associated. Moreover, this template-matching reaction with DNA can be programmed to build complicated structures from the bottom-up. The 15th International Meeting on DNA Computing is a forum that brings together researchers from Computer Science, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, and Physics to discuss the molecular scale manipulation of matter through computational paradigms using DNA and other biological material. Thus, it is helping to establish the scientific foundations of a potentially important technology for the future. The population of Arkansas has one of the lowest percentages of people with undergraduate or graduate degrees in the United States. In order to compete in the future economy, Arkansas students, particularly, undergraduates, need to participate in research and study of emerging technologies, like DNA Computing and Bionanotechnology. In addition, work in these emerging technologies is highly interdisciplinary, which is not the norm for traditional undergraduate education. A workshop at the 15th International Meeting on DNA Computing will bring together top researchers in this emerging technology, and teachers and students from Arkansas undergraduate institutions to discuss and foster the involvement of undergraduates in this field. Topics will include undergraduate research, curriculum development, and opportunities for both faculty and students to participate in funded research.