Lustrumsymposium
The lustrum symposium will take place on the 29th of April 2021. This day will be an interesting and educational day, where multiple speakers will tell about their research with Excited State as overall theme. Prof. Dr. Ewine van Dishoeck, Prof. Dr. Dirk Trauner, Prof. Dr. Nathalie Katsonis and Nobel prize winner in Chemistry in the year 2008 Prof. Dr. Martin Chalfie, will tell something about the research and will be introduced below.
Sign up now for this Exciting symposium!
The symposium is made possible by:
Prof. Dr. Ewine van Dishoeck
Time talk: 12:45-13:45h
Subject: Building stars, planets and the ingredients for life in space
The most cited molecular astrophysicist in the world. Van Dishoeck works on interstellar molecules; physical and chemical evolution during star formation and planet formation; submillimeter and mid-infrared astronomy; basic molecular processes; and the radiative transfer of line and continuum radiation. The theoretical research she does is aimed at calculation emmissionspectra of molecules that are hard to observe in lab conditions.
Prof. Dr. Nathalie Katsonis
Time talk: 13:45-14:45h
Subject: Light in control of movement at all scales
Our aim is to develop smart materials that are inspired by the multiscale, sophisticated and stimuli-responsive architectures that are found in nature. To this end, we rely on controlling the expression, transmission and amplication of chirality, from the nanoscale (the molecule) to the supramolecular level. This research also implies a special focus on lightresponsive systems. Nathalie Katsonis’ investigations of the interplay between motion, light and molecular machines started in the group of Ludovic Jullien, where she researched the chromophore that initiates the flagellar movement of purple bacteria.
Prof. Dr. Dirk Trauner
Time talk: 15:15-16:15h
Subject: Controlling the Fate and Functions of Proteins with Proximity Photopharmacology
Photopharmacology endeavors to control biological function with synthetic photoswitches that can be attached covalently or noncovalently to their targets - or nearby.
I will discuss potential applications of
photopharmacology in biology and
medicine, in particular with respect to controlling signal transduction and targeted protein degradation. I will make a case that “Proximity Photopharmacology” is a particularly
effective strategy. Prof. Dr. Dirk Trauner is a member of the Leopoldina Academy of Sciences and the Austrian Academia of Sciences, and a recipient of the Otto Bayer Award, the Emil Fischer
Medal, an ACS Cope Scholar Award, and a Sloan Fellowship. The broad objective
of Prof. Trauner’s research is to demonstrate the awesome power of chemical
synthesis and to use it toward the precision control of biological pathways.
Prof. Dr. Martin Chalfie
Time talk: 16:15-17:15h
Subject: GFP: Lighting Up LIFE
Yogi Berra, the great American baseball
player, once said, “You can observe a lot
by watching.” Unfortunately, before the
early 1990s observations in the biological
sciences were usually done on dead
specimens that were specially prepared
to allow entry of reagents that stained
cell components. These methods allowed
a glimpse of what cells were doing, but
they gave a necessarily static view of
life. GFP and other uorescent proteins
revolutionized the biological sciences
because they allowed scientists to look
at the inner workings of living cells. e story of the discovery and development
of GFP also provides a very nice example of how scienti c progress is o en made:
through accidental discoveries, the willingness to ignore previous assumptions, and
the combined efforts of many people. The story of GFP also shows the importance of
basic research on non-traditional organisms.
The committee
The Lustrum Symposium is organized by:
- Ted de Haas - chairman
- Lara van der Poll - secretary
- Nathan Jiscoot - traesurer
- Joeri Schoenmakers - Q.Q.