Public Abstract

DE-SC0015658: Support for the 2016 Penn State Bioinorganic Workshop

Award Status: Inactive

Institution: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
UEI: NPM2J7MSCF61
DUNS: 003403953

Most Recent Award Date: 04/21/2016
Number of Support Periods: 1
PM: Stack, Robert

Current Budget Period: 06/01/2016 - 05/31/2017
Current Project Period: 06/01/2016 - 05/31/2017
PI: Krebs, Carsten

Supplement Budget Period: N/A

Public Abstract

Support for the 2016 Penn State Bioinorganic Workshop Carsten Krebs, Dept. of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University Research in the area of bioinorganic chemistry aims at a detailed understanding of the formation, function, and regulation of the many metallocofactors found in Nature, as well as the identification of novel metallocofactors. Many metalloenzymes are of particular importance to the mission of the Department of Energy, because these “enzymes and their affiliated co-factors” are “involved in biological proton and nitrogen reduction, carbon-carbon bond formation, and carbon dioxide assimilation and reduction” and because such metalloenzyme “studies will lead to the identification of principles that will, for example, provide a basis for the design and synthesis of highly selective and efficient bioinspired catalysts”. Research in bioinorganic chemistry is diverse and includes a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, analytical chemistry, physical, and theoretical chemistry. Many different experimental techniques (e.g. reaction kinetics, a wide variety of spectroscopic techniques, X-ray crystallography, and mass spectrometry) and theoretical methods (e.g. electronic structure calculations and bioinformatics methods) are combined in this area of research to understand metalloenzyme catalysis. Because the methods used in bioinorganic chemistry are so diverse and require sophisticated technical expertise, it is particularly important that students and postdocs receive broad training. The large bioinorganic community at the Pennsylvaina State University spearheads such training efforts by offering biennial bioinorganic workshops with world-wide attendance that feature (i) talks by faculty experts on various xperimental methods, (ii) hands-on training in small groups of typically 6 participants in a wide variety of methods, and (iii) presentation of the participants’ research via poster sessions and talks. After a smaller trial workshop in 2010, the bioinorganic group hosted large workshops in 2012 and 2014 for 123 and 162 participants, respectively. Both workshops lasted 8-9 days, consisted of 16 faculty talks, hands-on training in 15 (in 2012) or 21 (in 2014) methods, poster sessions, and 10-12 talks by participants on their research. These workshops are an important contribution to the training of the next generation of bioinorganic chemists and they will set the stage for future discoveries in this field. These workshops enable and facilitate “increased integration of physical science and computational tools to probe structural, functional and mechanistic properties of enzymes, enzyme systems, and energy-relevant biological reactions”, as stated in the funding announcement by the Department of Energy. The 2016 workshop, for which we request support, will be similar in scope to the 2012 and 2014 workshops. It will last 8 full days, feature 17 talks by faculty on their area of specialty, hands-on training in small groups in 19 different methods, 2 plenary lectures by faculty on their research, 2 poster sessions, and 10 talks by students and postdocs on their research.

Support for the 2016 Penn State Bioinorganic Workshop

Carsten Krebs, Dept. of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University

Research in the area of bioinorganic chemistry aims at a detailed understanding of the formation, function, and regulation of the many metallocofactors found in Nature, as well as the identification of novel metallocofactors. Many metalloenzymes are of particular importance to the mission of the Department of Energy, because these “enzymes and their affiliated co-factors” are “involved in biological proton and nitrogen reduction, carbon-carbon bond formation, and carbon dioxide assimilation and reduction” and because such metalloenzyme “studies will lead to the identification of principles that will, for example, provide a basis for the design and synthesis of highly selective and efficient bioinspired catalysts”.

Research in bioinorganic chemistry is diverse and includes a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, analytical chemistry, physical, and theoretical chemistry. Many different experimental techniques (e.g. reaction kinetics, a wide variety of spectroscopic techniques, X-ray crystallography, and mass spectrometry) and theoretical methods (e.g. electronic structure calculations and bioinformatics methods) are combined in this area of research to understand metalloenzyme catalysis.

Because the methods used in bioinorganic chemistry are so diverse and require sophisticated technical expertise, it is particularly important that students and postdocs receive broad training. The large bioinorganic community at the Pennsylvaina State University spearheads such training efforts by offering biennial bioinorganic workshops with world-wide attendance that feature (i) talks by faculty experts on various xperimental methods, (ii) hands-on training in small groups of typically 6 participants in a wide variety of methods, and (iii) presentation of the participants’ research via poster sessions and talks.

After a smaller trial workshop in 2010, the bioinorganic group hosted large workshops in 2012 and 2014 for 123 and 162 participants, respectively. Both workshops lasted 8-9 days, consisted of 16 faculty talks, hands-on training in 15 (in 2012) or 21 (in 2014) methods, poster sessions, and 10-12 talks by participants on their research. These workshops are an important contribution to the training of the next generation of bioinorganic chemists and they will set the stage for future discoveries in this field. These workshops enable and facilitate “increased integration of physical science and computational tools to probe structural, functional and mechanistic properties of enzymes, enzyme systems, and energy-relevant biological reactions”, as stated in the funding announcement by the Department of Energy.

The 2016 workshop, for which we request support, will be similar in scope to the 2012 and 2014 workshops. It will last 8 full days, feature 17 talks by faculty on their area of specialty, hands-on training in small groups in 19 different methods, 2 plenary lectures by faculty on their research, 2 poster sessions, and 10 talks by students and postdocs on their research.