Pioneer in DNA Nanotechnology Nadrian C. Seeman to Speak at Bard College on Friday, November 11

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.— On Friday, November 11, the Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series and Chemistry Program at Bard College present a lecture by Nadrian C. Seeman, Margaret and Herman Sokol Professor of Chemistry at New York University, who is considered the “father of DNA nanotechnology.” DNA, the fundamental building block of life, has the potential to be exploited as a highly precise and programmable molecular entity. DNA nanotechnology is a branch of science that uses the basic properties of DNA to create complex, three-dimensional structures with wide-ranging applications in DNA computing, DNA robotics, nanoelectronics, and medicine. Seeman’s lecture, “DNA Nanotechnology: Applications and Advances,” is free and open to the public. It takes place at 5 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the Bertelsmann Campus Center.

More than 30 years ago, Nadrian C. Seeman founded the field of structural DNA nanotechnology. Branched DNA molecules that can be designed to self-assemble from synthetic strands. Cohesive ends allow them to assemble to produce polyhedra and nanotubes. In addition, DNA motifs have been used to produce 2D lattices that are characterized by atomic force microscopy. 3D lattices built the same way are studied by x-ray crystallography. The goal is to use DNA to scaffold other species, such as biological macromolecules and nanoelectronic components. This program has led to a variety of nanomechanical devices, including a translator, walkers, nanorobots, and a nanomechanical assembly line. Seeman was selected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1998 and of the a Royal Society of Chemistry in 2005. He has published more than 250 articles. In 2010, he received the prestigious Kavli Prize from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters “for the development of unprecedented methods to study matter on the nanoscale.” Seeman earned a B.S. degree from the University of Chicago, a Ph.D. from University of Pittsburgh, and undertook postdoctoral research at Columbia University and MIT.

For more information on this lecture, please contact Swapan Jain at 845-752-2354 or sjain@bard.edu.

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(10.18.11)

This event was last updated on 10-19-2011

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