{"63971":{"#nid":"63971","#data":{"type":"external_news","title":"Loren Williams\u0027 \u0022Alphabet of Life\u0022 Featured in Science News","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELoren Williams\u0027 research featured in cover article of February 2011 \u003Cem\u003EScience News\u003C\/em\u003E - \u0022Alphabet of Life - Searching for clues to the genetic code\u0027s origin\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2011-01-31 12:16:42","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 02:24:06","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","publication":"C-130H aircraft","field_article_url":"","publication_url":"http:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/view\/feature\/id\/69212\/title\/Alphabet_of_Life","dateline":{"date":"2011-02-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2011-02-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"11787","name":"Alphabet of Life - Searching for clues to the genetic code\u0027s origin"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"10720","name":"Loren Williams"},{"id":"168877","name":"Science News"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"65184":{"#nid":"65184","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Hosts Symposium on the Ribosome","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor the 19th year, Georgia Tech is hosting the Suddath Symposium in honor of Leroy \u0022Bud\u0022 Suddath, a late professor of the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.\u0026nbsp; This year\u0027s meeting focuses on the ribosome and its structure, function and evolution, exploring scientific implications ranging from understanding the origin and early evolution of life to the development of novel pharmaceuticals.\u0026nbsp; The symposium is organized by the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB), the Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution, and NASA on April 1-2. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cWe are excited that this year\u0027s symposium will feature foremost experts on the ribosome, including the 2009 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry \u2013 Professor Ada Yonath (Weizmann Institute),\u0022 said Adegboyega Oyelere, assistant professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the symposium chair. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis annual symposium celebrates the life and contributions of Suddath by discussing the latest developments in the fields of bioengineering and bioscience. The speakers include leading researchers from across the globe. Due to the high quality of the speakers, the 2011 meeting sold out weeks ago.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cIf you can not register for the in-person meeting, which is now at capacity, you still have an opportunity to attend virtually. We are using social networking tools for world-wide participation in the meeting,\u201c said co-organizer, Loren Williams, professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and director of the Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech has partnered with NASA to showcase the symposium, in its entirety, over the internet. Virtual participants will view the presentations in real-time and can chat with the other cyber-attendees using Facebook on the home page of the symposium\u0027s website. Over 200 attendees, more than twice the number that will attend in person, from around the globe have registered to participate virtually. Countries represented include Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, India, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Portugal and Venezuela.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cIBB will be showcased around the world as people beam into the seminar room to see our local symposium worldwide,\u201d Williams said.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe ribosome is a molecular machine that is responsible for protein synthesis in all living cells. This indispensable component of life, which contains both RNA and proteins, can be viewed as a molecular fossil. That is, the comparison of ribosomal RNA and proteins from distantly related organisms suggests that the origins and evolution of protein synthesis remain imprinted in present day ribosomes, providing a \u201crewindable\u201d molecular recording of early evolution that appears to go all the way back to the origin of life. Because the ribosome is central to the biochemistry of all life, it is a major target for drug development.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEach year, the Suddath Symposium theme changes, although the scientific committee selects an interdisciplinary topic that they feel Suddath would have been excited about. \u0022A symposium focusing on the ribosome is particularly fitting, as Bud (Suddath) contributed to solving the structure of tRNA, a key substrate which is used by the ribosome to make proteins,\u201d Oyelere explained.\u0026nbsp; Suddath\u2019s research efforts ultimately led to a set of protein growth experiments aboard the Space Shuttle in 1988. \u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Virtual symposium on the ribosome featuring world-renowned speakers"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor the 19th year, Georgia Tech is hosting the Suddath Symposium in honor of Leroy \u0022Bud\u0022 Suddath, a late professor of the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.\u0026nbsp; This year\u0027s meeting focuses on the ribosome and its structure, function and evolution, exploring scientific implications ranging from understanding the origin and early evolution of life to the development of novel pharmaceuticals.\u0026nbsp; The symposium is organized by the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB), the Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution and NASA on April 1-2.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Virtual symposium on the ribosome featuring world-renowned speakers."}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2011-03-28 13:35:50","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:08:26","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-03-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2011-03-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"65185":{"id":"65185","type":"image","title":"Thermus thermophilus - large submit ribosomal RNA","body":null,"created":"1449176801","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:06:41","changed":"1475894577","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:42:57","alt":"Thermus thermophilus - large submit ribosomal RNA","file":{"fid":"192187","name":"ribosome.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ribosome_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ribosome_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1438367,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ribosome_0.png?itok=lLUGW9Q2"}}},"media_ids":["65185"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"url":"http:\/\/suddath.gatech.edu\/","title":"2011 Suddath Symposium site"},{"url":"http:\/\/astrobiology.gatech.edu\/","title":"Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"12522","name":"Adegboyega Oyelere"},{"id":"5910","name":"Drug Discovery"},{"id":"10720","name":"Loren Williams"},{"id":"6730","name":"ribosome"},{"id":"169343","name":"suddath"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMegan Graziano McDevitt\u003Cbr \/\u003EMarketing and Event Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)\u003Cbr \/\u003E(404) 385-7001\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["megan.mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"63730":{"#nid":"63730","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Hosts NASA Astrobiology Institute Meeting","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn January 20-21, 2011, the Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution (RiboEvo), is hosting the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) Executive Council at the Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The NAI is a partnership between NASA and teams located at academic institutions, research laboratories and NASA centers across the country.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe NAI Executive Council is comprised of the NAI Director, Carl Pilcher, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Edward Goolish, Ph.D. and the directors of the fourteen NAI teams from across the country.  The purpose of the meeting is to evaluate and discuss new opportunities for NAI-wide research, space mission activities, technological development, and external partnerships.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech NAI center, RiboEvo, was established in February 2009 with a five year grant of 6.4 million dollars from NASA.  RiboEvo is lead by the center\u0027s director, Loren D. Williams, Ph.D., professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.  RiboEvo is a multidisciplinary research center and is comprised of scientists from Georgia Tech, Emory University, John Hopkins University, the University of California at Santa Cruz and the University of Houston.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough dispersed throughout the country, together these NAI teams work collaboratively to integrate interdisciplinary research and education in astrobiology with the goal of rewinding the tape of life. The idea being if you can understand the origin and evolution of life on earth you can then anticipate the nature of it across the universe.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERiboEvo investigators specifically focus on research surrounding the ribosome, the oldest molecular assembly in biology. Using the ribosome, RiboEvo performs molecular paleontology or mining of biophysical and inorganic chemistry from ancient biological systems. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe ribosome tells the story of some of life\u2019s aboriginal molecules, assemblies and chemical reactions,\u201d Williams said. \u201cUnderstanding the ribosome will uncover clues in the transition from the RNA world to the RNA-DNA-protein world.\u201d   \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe work from this research center carries the potential of discovering and characterizing the oldest traceable macromolecules and machines of life, as well as the earliest discernable connection between RNA and protein.\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn January 20-21, 2011, the Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution (RiboEvo), is hosting the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) Executive Council at the Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The NAI is a partnership between NASA and teams located at academic institutions, research laboratories and NASA centers across the country.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech Hosts NASA Astrobiology Institute Meeting"}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2011-01-19 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:08:02","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-01-20T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2011-01-20T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"64074":{"id":"64074","type":"image","title":"NASA Astrobiology Institute","body":null,"created":"1449176720","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:05:20","changed":"1475894564","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:42:44","alt":"NASA Astrobiology Institute","file":{"fid":"191927","name":"nasa-logo.gif","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nasa-logo_0.gif","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nasa-logo_0.gif","mime":"image\/gif","size":26545,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/nasa-logo_0.gif?itok=LZvJcncb"}}},"media_ids":["64074"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/astrobiology.gatech.edu\/","title":"Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution"},{"url":"http:\/\/astrobiology.nasa.gov\/nai\/","title":"NASA Astrobiology Institute"},{"url":"http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"722","name":"Astrobiology"},{"id":"11689","name":"Institute for Bioengineeirng and Bioscience"},{"id":"10720","name":"Loren Williams"},{"id":"408","name":"NASA"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMegan Graziano McDevitt\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarketing and Event Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=mm504\u0022\u003EContact Megan McDevitt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-385-7001\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["megan.mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}