March 5, 2003
Scientists gather at UW to discuss the intersections of engineering and biology
WHO: Leaders in the fields of biology and engineering and researchers from around the Puget Sound region involved in exploring the intersection of these rapidly advancing fields.
WHAT: A National Academy of Engineering symposium/regional meeting on “The Interface between Engineering and Biology and Its Impact on the Human Condition.”
WHEN: Thursday, March 13, 2003, from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Room 110 in Kane Hall on the University of Washington’s Seattle campus. A reception will follow in the Walker-Ames Room, also in Kane Hall.
DETAILS: Each year, the National Academy of Engineering holds several regional symposia around the country. The UW is hosting this year’s Western Regional Symposium, which will concentrate on engineering advances at the intersection with biology. Speakers include astronaut Bonnie Dunbar from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, who is a UW graduate. She will discuss biological research in space. UW bioengineer Buddy Ratner will detail efforts of a project he’s leading to grow heart muscle in the laboratory, and Robert Bea, an engineering professor at the University of California, Berkeley, will discuss unintended consequences of technology since engineering projects have the potential to do more than their creators envision. Other topics include the need for appropriate medical care in developing countries, obtaining and using genetic information by examining single cells, and implanting computers into animals to link natural neural circuitry and digital circuitry. Wm. A. Wulf, president of the academy, will preside. The symposium is open to the public.
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For more information, contact Ed Lazowska at (206) 543-4755 or lazowska@cs.washington.edu, or Bruce Finlayson at (206) 685-1634 or finlayson@cheme.washington.edu. Additional information about the symposium, including a full program and short abstracts of the presentations, is available on the Web at http://www.cs.washington.edu/nae/
