From crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!news.sei.cmu.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!gatech!concert!decwrl!parc!merkle Tue Jul 27 11:33:27 EDT 1993 Article: 18046 of comp.ai Xref: crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu comp.ai:18046 Newsgroups: comp.ai Path: crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!news.sei.cmu.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!gatech!concert!decwrl!parc!merkle From: merkle@parc.xerox.com (Ralph Merkle) Subject: Conference: Nanotech & Computers Message-ID: Sender: news@parc.xerox.com Organization: Xerox PARC Date: 26 Jul 93 21:02:27 GMT Lines: 264 SUMMARY: The first nanotechnology conference specifically for the computer community will be held in Palo Alto on October 14-16. It is designed for those interested in what nanotechnology will do for the computer field and in how to steer their careers toward nanotechnology today. The meeting is also of interest to those in other fields who want to learn more about molecular nanotechnology, that is, about thorough three-dimensional structural control of materials and devices at the molecular level. For further information, contact foresight@cup.portal.com. ANNOUNCEMENT: Third Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology: Computer-Aided Design of Molecular Systems October 14-16, 1993 Palo Alto, California Sponsor: Foresight Institute Cosponsors: Stanford University Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Molecular Graphics Society (USA), Institute for Molecular Manufacturing Support for nanotechnology has always been strong -- perhaps strongest -- within the computer community. The first nanotechnology course was taught in a computer science department, the first conference was sponsored by the same (along with Foresight Institute), the first Ph.D. was granted by a computer-oriented department (MIT's Media Lab), and the first text won the publishing industry's "best computer science book" award. A high proportion of those interested in nanotechnology are computer professionals of one flavor or another, and for years they have asked with increasing vigor "What can I do to further nanotechnology?" In response to these demands, Foresight's third research conference is especially designed to enable members of the computer community -- programmers, software engineers, hardware designers, and computer scientists in general -- to move their knowledge base and, ideally, their careers toward nanotechnology. All those with a computer background are urged to attend. The Third Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology: Computer-Aided Design of Molecular Systems will be held in Palo Alto on October 14-16, 1993. The meeting includes speakers who have made or are making the transition from computer science to nanotechnology. According to conference co-chair Ralph Merkle, "The main emphasis of this conference will be on computational approaches to the development of molecular manufacturing, in particular the use of molecular modeling and the development of molecular computer-aided design (CAD) tools. The conference will be valuable both for people who work professionally in computational chemistry and also for people who have a background in computer science and are interested in finding out what they can do to contribute to the development of molecular manufacturing. "There will also be a tutorial the day before the conference, so that people who have a background in computer science and wish to come up to speed in computational chemistry can get an introduction to the methodologies and techniques that are commonly used." The conference will feature fifteen or more speakers giving presentations on topics relevant to the pursuit of molecular control. We can only sketch a few of these here: Joel Orr, Autodesk Fellow, past president of the National Computer Graphics Association, and president of the Virtual Worlds Society, will address CAD industry professionals, potential nanotech designers, and others interested in hearing about the special needs of nanotechnology with respect to CAD. In the macro and micro worlds, computer-aided design is optional: design can be done by hand. But in the nano world, CAD is essential. He will discuss: * Is standard CAD good enough for nanotech? * What are the characteristics of the ideal system? * Who is working on such systems? * When will results be available? * Nano a mano: What can be done by hand, without CAD? Virtual Reality for Nanotechnology Russell Taylor, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will be speaking on a subject of particular interest to two groups of people: (1) surface scientists who are interested in better interfaces to their instruments, and (2) builders of virtual worlds, since the system is an example of a virtual world applied to a scientific problem. The system under discussion, the Nanomanipulator, is an immersive virtual-environment interface to a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM). A head-mounted display presents a scaled image of the surface being scanned by the STM in front of the user while a force-feedback Argone-III Remote Manipulator (ARM) allows the user to feel contours on the surface. Computer-controlled instrumentation allows the user to make bias pulses at specified locations, thus modifying the surface. Ted Kaehler, a computer scientist at Apple Computer, points out that we do not know how the first assembler will be built or what exact research is needed to get there. A person who is not a professional chemist or materials scientist, and yet wants to be involved in this effort, has to think about how his/her skills match the problem. In this talk, entitled "What Can a Programmer Do to Help Create Nanotechnology?", he discusses three efforts he has been involved in. The first is a program to discover voids inside large molecules. Programs that search for the proper design of a large molecule need to know where the empty spaces are. The second is a project to build the "relaxation server" on the Internet. This server accepts proposed molecules (via email messages) and computes the coordinates of the atoms. The results are sent back by email. The third project is a "program" of a different sort -- a meeting group. The "Assembler Multitude," a subgroup of the local Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility chapter -- meets every other Monday night in Palo Alto and covers a wide variety of nanotechnology-related topics. Charles Musgrave, a doctoral candidate at the California Institute of Technology, will talk about ab initio calculations for mechanosynthetic construction of diamondoid structures. Accurate transition state barriers for a positionally controlled reaction are necessary to both the design of the tool and the design of the synthetic process. If either of these designs is not practical, then an alternate structure is required. High level ab initio calculations are required to obtain accurate transition state structures and thus reliable mechanochemical modeling. J. Storrs Hall, Rutgers University, will be speaking on nanocomputing; particularly the expected developments in computer architecture that make use of reversibility to reduce heat dissipation. The techniques will be critical for nanocomputers, but are on the verge of becoming useful in VLSI, so the talk will be of interest to anyone in computer architecture as well as those studying molecular computers per se. Markus Krummenacker, an Institute for Molecular Manufacturing researcher, will be presenting a "cavity stuffer" program which should enable the design of macromolecules the size of proteins. These macromolecules should then be easily synthesizable and should also have specifiable interface surfaces so that they can self assemble. Additional talks include: * Introduction to the Design of Molecular Systems, by Eric Drexler, IMM * Computational Nanotechnology, by Ralph Merkle, Xerox PARC * Design of Macromolecular Objects, by Manfred Mutter, Institut de Chimie Organique * Molecular Modeling, by William Goddard, Caltech * Crystal-Based Molecular CAD, by Geoff Leach, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology * Visualization with Molecular Graphics, by Michael Pique, Scripps Research Institute * Modeling Diamond CVD with Density Functional Theory, by Warren Pickett, NRL * Ab Initio Methods and Software, by Charles Bauschlicher, NASA Ames * Atom Manipulation by Proximal Probes: Experiment and Theory, by Makoto Sawamura, Aono Atomcraft Project The first Nanotechnology Award (and accompanying cash prize) will be presented at the meeting. Nomination information will be available from Foresight Institute. DEMONSTRATIONS Leading vendors will demonstrate products useful in the pursuit of molecular control, including molecular modeling software and hardware, and proximal probe systems (e.g. STM). CALL FOR PAPERS Contributions on relevant topics are solicited for presentation in lecture or poster format. Potential contributors are asked to submit an abstract (200-400 words), including names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers of the author(s), and an indication of whether oral or poster presentation is preferred. Papers of both kinds will be reviewed for publication. In choosing papers, priority will be given to (1) cogent descriptions of the state of the art in techniques relevant to the construction of complex molecular systems, (2) well-grounded proposals for interdisciplinary efforts which, if funded and pursued, could substantially advance the state of the art, and (3) reports of recent relevant research. JOURNAL & BOOK PUBLICATION OF PROCEEDINGS Proceedings of the conference will be refereed and published in a special issue of the international journal Nanotechnology, and later in book form. Abstracts due August 15, 1993 Notification of acceptance September 1, 1993 Manuscripts due October 14, 1993 Abstracts should be directed to the Foresight Institute, Box 61058, Palo Alto, CA 94306, USA. PRE-CONFERENCE TUTORIAL A full-day tutorial on molecular modeling and computational chemistry will be held on October 13. This tutorial is designed for computer scientists and programmers interested in using their computer skills to become active in the field of nanotechnology. The workshop will be taught by Bill Goddard, Ralph Merkle, Eric Drexler and others. More detailed information, including registration materials, will be sent to all conference registrants. SITE AND ACCOMMODATIONS Conference sessions will be held at the Hyatt Rickeys Hotel in Palo Alto. Accommodation arrangements should be made directly with the hotel. Reservations should be made by September 29; when making reservations, mention that you are attending the "Foresight Nanotechnology Conference" to obtain the lower conference room rate. Deposits in the amount of the first night's stay plus tax are required to guarantee reservations; these are refundable up to 6 PM on the date of arrival. Room rate: $89, single or double occupancy, plus 10% local tax. Hyatt Rickeys 4219 El Camino Real Palo Alto, CA 94306 (415) 493-8000 tel (415) 424-0836 fax TRANSPORTATION The conference site is easily reached from San Francisco International Airport and San Jose International Airport. Information on ground transportation services will be mailed to registrants. REGISTRATION FORM (please print and mail or fax) Name: Title: Dr. Prof. Ms. Mr. Address: Tel.: Fax: Email: Position (programmer, professor, director, etc.): Organizational affiliation (for your badge): The registration fee includes the scientific program, Wednesday evening reception, Thursday and Friday luncheons, and a copy of the proceedings journal issue. (Student and one-day rates do not include proceedings.) postmarked: by Sept. 1 after Sept. 1 Regular $350 $400 Academic, nonprofit, governmental $275 $325 Student $100 $125 One day (specify day) $135 $160 Add $200 for Pre-conference Tutorial registration. Total amount: $ Payment may be made by VISA, MasterCard, check, or international money order valid in the U.S. Make checks payable to "Foresight Conferences"; checks and bank drafts must be in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank. Refunds of registration fees can only be made on receipt of a written request which must be postmarked no later than September 15, and are subject to a $50 administrative fee. Credit card registrations may be faxed; please do not send credit card information over the Internet. Card #: Exp. date: Signature (required for credit card registrations): Mail or fax registration to: Foresight Institute Box 61058, Palo Alto CA 94306 USA Tel. 415-324-2490 Fax 415-324-2497 Internet: foresight@cup.portal.com PLEASE FORWARD TO APPROPRIATE NEWSGROUPS AND ELECTRONIC MAILING LISTS