PACE had one summer school in its final year, aimed at disseminating results, techniques, and ideas to students, post-docs, and faculty interested in entering the field.
Blueprint for an Artificial Cell
European Centre for Living Technology
San Servolo, 3-17 May 2008
Organizers: R. Walker, I. Poli, N. Packard, K. Lindgren
PURPOSE
Recent advances in biology, chemistry, computing and engineering have brought us close to the point where it will be possible to build artificial living cells. This is the theme of “Blueprint for an Artificial Cell”, a multidisciplinary summer school, organized by the European Center for Living Technology with funding from the European PACE project. The school will provide tutorials to familiarize participants with relevant concepts and techniques from outside their own fields of specialization, offer them with an up to date vision of the “state of the art”, expose them to advanced research, described by leaders in the field, and make them aware of the key research challenges that still need to be answered.
PROGRAM
Sunday 4th May
10.00 - Welcome: introduction to school – John McCaskill
10.30 - Scientific background: Strategies for building an artificial cell – John McCaskill
11.30 - Introductory lecture - Protocells : a crucible for multidisciplinary research on the origin of complexity and the nature of life: Strategies for building an artificial cell – Steen Rasmussen
Lunch
14.30 - Rasmussen et al minimal protocell: Protocell visions – Steen Rasmussen
Monday 5th May
9.30 - Lecture - Physical self-assembly and the origin of mesoscale complexity: Theoretical background – Ricard Sole
Lunch
14.30 - Hands On Lab
Tuesday 6th May
9.30 - Evolvable electronic chemical cells and programmable chemistry for ICT: Theoretical background – John McCaskill
Lunch
14.30 - From tilings to correlations - from circuits to vesicles: Theoretical background – Ruedi Fuechslin
16.30 - First interdisciplinary workshop: interdisciplinary discussions
Wednesday 7th May
9.30 - Evolutionary computing: Introduction to evolutionary computing – Richard Walker
Lunch
14.30 - Lecture: Clays and the assembly of artificial cells - new experimental results: Key protocell functionalities – Martin Hanczyk
16.00 - Engineering a replication cycle in artificial cells: Key protocell functionalities - Martin Hanczyk
Thursday 8th May
9.30 - Dynamical systems and the complex systems route to complexity: Theoretical background – Kristian Lindgren
Lunch
14.30 - Engineering smart artificial cells - protocells that interact with and change their environment – Martin Hanczyk
Friday 9th May
9.30 - Lecture: A computational approach to what is life: Theoretical background – Barry McMullin
Lunch
14.30 - Lecture - Lancet et. al aggregate protocell: Protocell visions – Doron Lancet
Saturday 10th May
9.30 - Lipid synthesis and self-assembly for protocells: Protocell visions – Pier Luigi Luisi
Lunch
14.30 - Lecture - Luisi-Szostak minmal protocell: Key protocell functionalities– Pier Luigi Luisi
Sunday 11th May
OFF
Monday 12th May
9.30 - Tutorial - Genetic algorithms and evolutionary computation, Chemical Genetic Algorithms: Tools – Norman Packard
Lunch
14.30 - Lecture - Combinatorial experimental designs and statistical models: Tools – Irene Poli
Tuesday 13th May
9.30 - Lecture - Micro-fluidics as a tool for designing artificial cells: Tools – Patrick Wagler
Lunch
14.30 - Evolutionary self organization of digital systems: Tools – Uwe Tangen
Wednesday 14th May
9.30 - Morphological computation at various scales – Rolf Pfeifer and Peter Eggenberger
Lunch
14.30 - Tutorial Handson onLab - Working with vescicles: Tools
Thursday 15th May
9.30 - Systems chemistry: From self-replication to systems chemistry – Gunter von Kiedrowski
Lunch
14.30 - Systems chemistry: From systems chemistry to nano-cell-alternatives - Gunter von Kiedrowski
Friday 16th May
9.30 - Lecture – Synchrionization in protocell models: Protocell visions - Roberto Serra
11.00 - Interdisciplinary workshop
Lunch
14.30 - Seminar - Social and ethical impact of protocells: The Scientific, social and technological impact of protocells – Emily Parke
Saturday 17th May
9.30 - A roadmap to protocells: Protocell visions – Norman Packard
Lunch
14.30 - Lecture - Applications of artificial cells - a view to the future: The Scientific, social and technological impact of protocells - Richard Walker