The Mathematics of Knotting and Linking in Polymer Physics and Molecular Biology (07w5095)

The Banff International Research Station will host, May 20-25, 2007, an international workshop for researchers investigating the structure of knotting and linking in physics and biology. Knotting and linking arises in living cells where it is tolerated at levels moderated by, for example, DNA topoisomerase. When this occurs in constrained environments, one observes significant differences in structure from that found in free environments. The organizers, Professors Kenneth Millett of the University of California at Santa Barbara, Eric Rawdon of the University of St. Thomas, Christine Soteros of the University of Saskatchewan, Andrzej Stasiak of the University of Lausanne and, Stuart Whittington of the University of Toronto, bring together some of the leading researchers in biology, mathematics and, physics to focus on critical theoretical and experimental advances, the challenges that are illuminated by them, and the next generation of experimental, theoretical, mathematical, statistical and, computational tools that will be required to further advance understanding of fundamental processes in physics and biology.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the US National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).