Concepts in Biology BIO AC Meeting, Oct. 18-19, 2007

1. Concepts in Biology BIO AC Meeting, Oct. 18-19, 2007 Advancing innovation and competitiveness at the convergence of the life and physical sciences and engineering

2. BIO at NSF: Integrating with ACI Biosphere Amer. Comp. Init. (ACI) Fundamental Research 21st Century Workforce Transformative Facilities & Infrastructure Quality Merit Review NSF Strategic Goals Discovery Learning Research Infrastructure Stewardship BIO Priorities Core Programs, Emerging Frontiers Broadening participation activities NEON, Plant Cyber Collaborative, CEIN Transformative research, organizational change / managing the core

3. 21st Century Innovation Will Rely on Biology Discoveries at all levels of biology will reverberate throughout science and provide the transformational insights that will lead to practical solutions in seemingly unrelated research areas. (NRC Report)

4. Biology: Shaping the Future • The 21st century will be “The Age of Biology” because classic grand challenges are now within reach. • Biological information is exploding • Ingenious new tools • Non-biologists are turning to living systems • BIO will advance the frontiers of knowledge at the intersection of the life and physical sciences and engineering

5. Biology: Shaping the Future • Foster ACI relevant initiatives that support discovery at the intersection of the life and physical sciences • Understanding the “molecular basis of life” • Discovery – From simple to complex: a single gene change is responsible for generating a more complex multi-chambered heart. • Discovery - “Small RNAs” are a ubiquitous, potent set of molecules that regulate cellular process including development, pathogen defense and stress response • “Improving our understanding of global climate variability and change” (OMB/OSTP Letter) • Discovery – Research into Earth’s ancient climate reveals the importance of the biosphere in driving global change. Core/ACI

6. Managing the Core • Concepts in Biology • Origins:Use Synthetic Biology to discover the molecular basis of life and develop and test models of emergent complexity • Energy:Expand knowledge of living energy-transduction systems to inform the development of new biology-based, renewable energy technologies. • Adaptation:Discover the underlying mechanisms that enable living organisms to survive, adapt to, and transform their environment. Adaptation: Ecological Forecasting Discovery Crenarchaeota, the first discovered nitrogen fixing archaea, are emerging as a major driver of the global carbon and nitrogen cycles

7. Origins: How, where, and when did life on Earth begin? Open system chemistry Model Digital Worlds Charles Ofria, Claus O. Wilke (NSF/BIO) • Where did the molecules necessary to begin life originate? • How did the complex biological chemistry of life* emerge from pre-biotic chemistry and geochemistry? • *Self-contained – The Cell • *Self-sustaining - Energy • *Self-perpetuating - Reproduction and Evolution • Are there alternative routes to life? Encapsulated, self-sustaining biochemistry Basic elements

8. Origins: How, where, and when did life on Earth begin? Stanley Miller Life as we know it Knowledge about the “Last Universal Common Ancestor” for life on Earth will define constraints on the pre-biotic conditions that gave rise to life and will inform our understanding of the onset and early evolution of life. Can the indispensable requirements for life—including the pre-biotic conditions and steps leading to life—be revealed by Synthetic Biology? ? Transitions and transformations

9. Energy: How is energy obtained and used by living systems to sustain life? ITO Au PS I ETL/C60 Ag e- e- photon e- e- -/+ Biofuels Applied Photosynthesis Agrivida NSF/ENG SBIR What are the systems by which life forms obtain and use energy to sustain life? Understanding the wide variety of energy transduction systems will inspire and enable the development of biology-based technologies capable of delivering sustainable, renewable, efficient energy. Barry Bruce ( NSF/BIO) Assemble the basics Chloroplast

10. Energy: How is energy obtained and used by living systems to sustain life? The discovery of new life forms on Earth will enhance our knowledge of self-sustaining energy systems. A vast microbial world has yet to be incorporated into a fundamental concept of life’s history. Life as we know it. Microbes two miles down derive energy from radiation Antarctica Europa Deep ocean Tullis Onstott, Lisa Pratt (NSF/GEO) Kilometers of water Life as we don’t know it. Mars

11. Adaptation in the Story of Life: What has survived and how? Adaptation and survival Extinction Neo Martinez (NSF/BIO) • How have some life forms survived geological and climate altering events and successfully adapted to a transformed biosphere? • Knowledge of life’s resilience and adaptations to planetary change will require a theoretically and conceptually rich interdisciplinary effort. Transformations

12. Adaptation in the Story of Life: What will survive and how? • Understanding life’s resilience and adaptation to planetary change will enable realistic predictions for the future of life on Earth in response to: • Global climate change – NEON • Human activities • Disruptive events • Fresh water depletion Choices Changes

13. BIO Environmental Science • Global Climate Change • Climate Change and Disruptive Events • Dynamics of Earth’s Water System • Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEIN) Discovery Restoring marine biodiversity through an ecosystem based management approach is essential to avoid serious threats to global food security, costal water quality and ecosystem stability • National Ecological Observatory Network • Research and development of environmental sensors and sensor networks, cyberinfrastructure, and enabling technologies • A goal of observing, modeling and analyzing a wide range of complex environmental systems.

14. National Science Foundation Fiscal Year 2008 update Waiting on a budget Operating under a continuing resolution Not unusual for this time of year

15. National Science Foundation Fiscal Year 2008 update • FY 2008 Administration’s request is $6.43 Billion, a 6.8 % increase over 2007 • Research and Related Activities is $5.13 Billion, a 7.7 % increase over 2007 • STATUS: House and Senate appropriation bills provide for R&RA funding similar to the administration request, but differ in extent of increased funding for Education and Human Resource (EHR) programs. • Reflects emphasis on American Competitiveness Initiative

16. National Science Foundation Fiscal Year 2008 update FY 2008 Request Research and Related Activities by directorate

17. Challenges for the Future • Conveying the message that biology is more than biomedicine • Creating the Directorate of the future • Managing novel research infrastructure in the context of long term research priorities • National Ecological Observatory Network • Plant Cyberinfrastructure

18. NSF’s Role Goal: Inspire a new generation of scientists, engineers, and educators to create new knowledge and technologies to sustain life on Earth, adapt to a changing world, and explore our universe. Why NSF: Success requires collaborative research and education across the range of sciences and engineering uniquely encompassed by NSF. Physical anthropology, Archaeology Chemistry, Geochemistry Microbiology,Ecology Engineering, Synthetic biology, Computational and Mathematical modeling, Nanotechnology Evolution, Astronomy, Astrobiology Plant biology, Biochemistry Time

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