From: berg@cs.albany.edu (George Berg)
Subject: Computational Biology Conference
Originator: berg@hipparchus.albany.edu
Organization: Computer Science Department, SUNY at Albany, Albany, NY 12222
Distribution: sci
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 18:37:09 GMT



  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
  *                 FINAL CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS                   *
  *                                                               *
  *       SECOND ALBANY CONFERENCE ON COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY       *
  *                                                               *
  *            "PATTERNS OF BIOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION"              *
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           *                                             *
           *  YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AND DISCUSSANT AWARDS   *
           *                                             *
           * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


GENERAL CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION

The Second Albany Conference on Computational Biology will be held
October 8-11, 1992 in Rensselaerville near Albany, New York.  The aim of
this conference (like that of the 1990 Albany Conference) is to explore
the computational tools and approaches being developed in diverse fields
within biology, with emphasis this year on topics related to organization
and self-assembly.  The conference will be designed to provide an
environment for a frank and informal exchange among scientists and
mathematicians that is not normally possible within the constraints of
topical, single-discipline meetings.  The theme of the Conference,
"Patterns of Biological Organization", will be developed in five sessions
on topics ranging from the level of sequence to the level of embryo
development.  Leading specialists in the various disciplines are being
invited, with the degree of involvement in novel computational approaches
as one of the most important criteria for selection.


MEETING AWARDS FOR MATHEMATICIANS AND YOUNG SCIENTISTS

We are seeking an interdisciplinary audience: mathematicians and
computer scientists as well as biologists.  To encourage participation
of mathematics and computer science specialists outside the area of
biology, we will award waivers of meeting fees ($475 each) to three who
are willing to serve as discussants at the meeting.  Also, fees will be
waived for ten "young investigators" (graduate students, postdocs,
junior faculty), to be selected from among the specialties represented
at the conference.  Individuals seeking either type of award should
submit an application (see below) and include a CV and a short letter
explaining their interest in attending the meeting.  "Young
Investigator" awardees will be expected to submit a poster and so
applicants should include an abstract with their application.


CONFERENCE FORMAT

The conference will consist of three morning and two evening sessions
over a period of three nights and days (Thursday afternoon through Sunday
morning).  Each session will be comprised of three or four 30-minute talks
interspersed by question-and-answer periods of 15-20 minutes.
Afternoons are free for discussion, viewing posters (which all
participants are invited to bring), and workshops (some planned, others
impromptu). Workshop titles include "structure data bases" and
"mechanisms of morphogenesis".  In addition, a workshop is planned for
Thursday afternoon that will introduce non-biologists to the main issues
of macromolecular and cellular structure to be addressed at the meeting.


CONFERENCE SESSIONS AND SPEAKERS

Keynote Address  Thursday PM
----------------------------
              Prof. Hermann Haken, Univ. Stuttgart
              Concepts of Bio-synergetics


Session 1  Friday AM  Sequence analysis and secondary structure
---------------------------------------------------------------
Discussion leader: George Berg
                   The University at Albany (SUNY)
                   518-442-4267
                   BERG@CS.ALBANY.EDU

Speakers: David L. Waltz, Thinking Machines, Inc.
          Protein secondary structure prediction using hybrid
          representation

          Jean Michel Claverie, NCBI, NIH
          Gene identification

          Michael Zuker, National Research Council of Canada
          Structural analysis by energy dot plot of a large mRNA

          Stephen Altschul, NCBI, NIH
          Scoring systems for macromolecular sequence comparison


Session 2  Friday PM  Macromolecular function
---------------------------------------------
Discussion leader: Jacquelyn Fetrow
                   The University at Albany (SUNY)
                   518-442-4389
                   JACQUE@ISADORA.ALBANY.EDU

Speakers: Judith Hempel, Biosym Technologies, Inc.
          Conformational analysis of peptides and protein loop regions

          Fred E. Cohen, UCSF
          Pharmaceutical design from protein structure

          Chris Lee, Stanford University
          Steric fit in protein stability and substrate specificity

          Francois Michel, Centre de Genetique Moleculaire, CNRS (France)
          Three-dimensional architecture of a catalytic RNA, as revealed
          by comparative sequence analysis


Session 3  Saturday AM  Development
-----------------------------------
Discussion leader: John Reinitz
                   Yale Univ., New Haven, CT
                   203-785-7049
                   REINITZ-JOHN@CS.YALE.EDU

Speakers: Michael Levine, UC-San Diego
          The transcriptional control of stripes in the Drosophila
          embryo

          John Reinitz, Yale University
          Circuitry from gene expression

          George Oster, UC-Berkeley
          Brownian machines

          Stuart A. Newman, New York Medical College
          Generic physical mechanisms as templates for development
          and evolution.


Session 4  Saturday PM  Recognition and assembly
------------------------------------------------
Discussion leader: Joachim Frank
                   Wadsworth Center and State Univ. of New York, Albany
                   518-474-7002
                   JOACHIM@TETHYS.PH.ALBANY.EDU

Speakers: David DeRosier, Brandeis University
          Structure and assembly of the bacterial flagellum: protein
          folding linked to flagellin polymerization

          Phoebe L. Stewart, The Wistar Institute
          Bridging the resolution gap between x-ray crystallography
          and electron microscopy

          John Sedat, UCSF
          Visualization and analysis of multidimensional cellular
          structures


Session 5  Sunday AM  Tertiary structure prediction
---------------------------------------------------
Discussion leader: Charles Lawrence
                   Wadsworth Center, and State Univ. of New York, Albany
                   518-473-3382
                   CEL@BIOMETRICS.PH.ALBANY.EDU

Speakers: Rick Fine, Biosym Technologies, Inc.
          Towards reliable modeling of antibody combining sites:
          insights from canonical structures, conformational search,
          and solvation analysis

          Stephen Bryant, NCBI, NIH
          A residue contact potential for threading sequence through
          folding motif

          James U. Bowie, UCLA
          Assessing the compatibility of a protein sequence with a
          three-dimensional structure


CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS

Joachim Frank (Co-chair), Carmen Mannella (Co-chair), Charles Lawrence,
Patrick Van Roey; Wadsworth Center for Laboratories and Research (New York
State Department of Health) and School of Public Health (SUNY)

Jacquelyn Fetrow, George Berg; The University at Albany (SUNY)

Jeffrey Bell; Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute: 

John Reinitz; Yale University

Steven Bryant; National Center for Biotechnology Information (NIH): 


CONFERENCE SITE

The conference, one of the Albany Conference series held annually since
1984, will take place at the Rensselaerville Conference Center, located 30
miles southwest of Albany, NY in the Helderberg Mountains.  The Institute
offers on-campus facilities including a large auditorium with
audio-visual equipment and smaller conference halls for informal workshops
and poster sessions.  The Weathervane Restaurant, located on-campus and
formerly the carriage house of the Huyck estate, provides meals and
refreshments, while overnight lodging is available in the modern & classic
estate houses. Rooms are assigned in advance to registrants, and
transportation to and from Rensselaerville is provided from the airport,
train and bus stations.  The rural, secluded setting of the conference,
the limited number of participants and the scheduling of sessions in the
morning and the evening -- leaving the afternoons free -- are intended
to facilitate informal discussions among conference participants.


REGISTRATION INFORMATION

CONFERENCE FEE: $475 includes registration, accomodations (double occ.),
meals and transportation between the conference center and Albany airport.
Payment of the full fee will be required by SEPT. 31, 1992.  Please note
that neither the Albany Conferences nor the Rensselaerville Conference
Center accepts credit cards.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 10, 1992

For further registration information contact:
Conference coordinator, Carole Keith, 518-442-4327, FAX 518-442-4767,
carole@uacsc2.albany.edu - or send your application & abstract (unfolded)
to The Albany Conference, P.O. Box 8836, Albany, NY 12208-0836.

MEETING AWARDS

Graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty who would like to be
considered for a Young Investigator award should submit with the
registration form - a CV, a brief letter explaining research interests
and a poster abstract.  Graduate students should also include a letter of
recommendation from a faculty advisor.

Mathematicians and computer scientists who would like to apply for a
Discussant award should include a CV and a brief statement explaining
how their expertise relates to the theme of the meeting.

Applications from members of groups that are underrepresented in this
field (women and racial minorities) are strongly encouraged. 

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

You may use the following "E-Mail application form" to register:

Name:

Organization:

Business Address:

City:                               State:        Zip:

Business Phone:                     Fax:


If you plan to submit a poster, please include its title and (if
ready) a short abstract.  (You will be asked to provide by Sept. 16 a
one-page, camera-ready version of the poster abstract, using 1.5 inch
borders, for the meeting workbook.)  Indicate if you wish to be 
considered for a Young Scientist or Discussant Award.