BIoSecurity Opportunities Nexus (BISON) is a resource that compiles all student and postdoc-relevant biosecurity opportunities (graduate and postdoc academic programs, scholarships, fellowships, internships, etc.). BISON includes both international and domestic (US) opportunities.
Registration is now closed. If you are still interested in attending, please email us at helix@ebrc.org.
We are pleased to announce that our 2024 Annual Meeting will be held May 16-17, 2024 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA! We have a series of exciting events held in coordination with this year’s Annual Meeting, we encourage everyone to check them out!
Schedule of Events (please see each event page to register):
Each year, we look forward to the Annual Meeting as an opportunity to come together to share science, build community, and collaborate to advance engineering biology to address national and global needs. Attendance at the Annual Meeting is open to all EBRC members, their lab members, employees of institutional members, and all SPA members. We also warmly welcome all those at Georgia Tech with an interest in engineering biology to join us.
The EBRC Annual Meeting provides an opportunity for the engineering biology community to come together to engage on matters important to advancing engineering biology. In addition to inspiring research talks and poster presentations, EBRC’s meeting holds time to consider the larger engineering biology research ecosystem in which we all exist and work together to move the field forward. We invite you to join us to present and discuss your latest research, build relationships with your colleagues in academia, industry, and government, and advance the member-driven work of EBRC.
A draft agenda is available here! Note that we anticipate running until 5:00 PM on Friday, May 17.
Registration:
Please register here by April 15, 2024. To confirm your spot and offset some of the meal costs, there will be a nominal fee ($150 for faculty & industry and $75 for students & postdocs). If this fee is prohibitive for you or your lab members, please email helix@ebrc.org.
Abstract submissions for posters are now being accepted. Abstract submission is separate from registration. Submissions from all attendees are welcome! We encourage you to submit your latest, ongoing work as a mechanism to engage in community dialogue.
IMPORTANT DATES:
March 25: Last day to submit talk abstracts
April 10: Notification of talk selection
April 15: Registration closes* APRIL 17: EXTENDED REGISTRATION DEADLINE*
April 17: Deadline for hotel and travel arrangements by EBRC
April 26: Last day to submit poster abstracts
*registration may still be possible after this date but will incur additional costs
Annual Meeting Venue:
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA
Meeting Hotel:
EBRC has reserved a block of hotel rooms at the Georgian Terrace at 659 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 at $173.00 per night (includes breakfast and WiFi). Please indicate on the registration page if you will need hotel accommodations. We will reserve the room in our block. If your travel is not covered by EBRC, you can provide payment at check in. Parking is available at a discounted rate of $25 per day. Please contact helix@ebrc.org with any questions rather than contacting the hotel directly.
Transportation:
Transportation options to get to the hotel can be viewed here. The Georgian Terrace is conveniently located along public transportation lines, you can view maps and schedules here.
Travel Support:
We anticipate covering airfare and hotel expenses for:
Individuals who will receive travel support will be contacted by email to complete their flight bookings. The meeting will conclude at 5:00PM on Friday, May 17 and we encourage those receiving travel support to find an evening flight if at all possible. We will only cover Friday night hotel expenses with prior approval. Please contact helix@ebrc.org if you anticipate needing Friday night accommodations. Please also note that travel support does not include the confirmation/meal fee ($150 for faculty and $75 for students and postdocs). Email helix@ebrc.org if this fee is prohibitive. Please see EBRC’s full travel policy here.
We encourage you to make your travel plans early, as we will cap the level of airfare support provided by EBRC. Airfare must be booked by April 17 to be eligible for EBRC support.
Health and Safety:
We are committed to hosting a safe event. We will be closely watching CDC recommendations in addition to all relevant local and state guidelines leading up to the Meeting and make any changes necessary for health and safety.
Dress Code:
The EBRC Annual Meeting does not have a dress code. EBRC values diversity and individual expression — we encourage participants to come as they are and wish to present themselves to the world.
Publication Date: July 2023
EBRC’s response to the request by the NSF for comments on the development of a roadmap to guide investment decisions of the newly formed TIP Directorate. We recommend prioritizing engineering biology research through infrastructure development, data programs, and equitable workforce initiatives to strengthen biotechnology translation and U.S. economic competitiveness. We also highlight the several crosscutting areas for investments where engineering biology overlaps with other TIP areas of interest, such as AI, materials science, climate change, and advanced robotics.
The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is seeking postdoctoral scholars interested in science policy. Postdocs will leverage their previous training to work with EBRC programs and to conduct an individual research project.
Applications are being accepted for those with interest in the bioeconomy and related technical and policy influences and impacts, and those interested in any of our four focus areas: Technical Research Roadmapping, Security, Education & Workforce Development, and Policy & International Engagement. Applicants with particular knowledge, experience, and/or expertise in one of the five Application and Impact Sectors (i.e., Environment Biotechnology & Climate, Food & Agriculture, Energy, Health & Medicine, Industrial Biotechnology) and/or the four Technical Themes (i.e., Data Science, Engineering DNA, Host Engineering, Biomolecular Engineering) described in EBRC’s Engineering Biology: A Research Roadmap for the Next-Generation Bioeconomy (2019), are encouraged.
You can find more information here!
The EBRC 2023 Council Meeting will take place at MITRE, in McLean, VA (Washington, DC) on October 26-27, 2023.
Travel Support and Meeting Hotel:
We anticipate covering airfare and hotel expenses for EBRC Academic Council Members. To book your flights, please contact us at travel@ebrc.org. Please review EBRC’s revised travel policy.
Hotel information will be provided soon.
Health and Safety:
We are committed to hosting a safe event. We will be closely watching CDC recommendations in addition to all relevant local and state guidelines leading up to the Meeting and make any changes necessary for health and safety. Proof of vaccination will be required for attendance. A rapid antigen testing strategy may also be deployed depending on conditions. Meals will be provided outside.
Publication Date: July 2023
Engineering biology applications could contribute to significant emission cuts and move us toward achieving climate goals by replacing fossil fuels and fossil fuel-derived products with biobased products, transforming agriculture and industries with the introduction of low-emission and eco-friend processes and products, and building climate resilience for urban and rural communities.
Publication Date: July 2023
Recent advances in data science and engineering biology have accelerated the capabilities of microbiome engineering research. To harness these new capabilities and boost innovation, EBRC highlights technical methods, computational tools, testbed infrastructure, and data sharing requirements are in need of federal investment. These efforts should be coordinated across the Federal Government to capitalize on momentum and bolster productivity throughout the field.
Publication Date: July 2023
Deployed engineering biology products have the potential to reshape our environment, agriculture, human health, and more. Such impactful applications necessitate operation outside of traditional biocontainment vessels and thus require renewed biocontainment policies. Herein, EBRC highlights emerging biocontainment research, areas for investment, and horizon scanning activities to promote safe and responsible biotechnology innovation.
Publication Date: June 2023
Response submitted by EBRC Director of Roadmapping and Education, Dr. Emily Aurand, to the request by NSF seeking novel approaches that lead to the recruitment of diverse and creative individuals into emerging technologies. This response provides strategic recommendations to increase the rate and composition of students enrolled in both traditional and non-traditional academic pathways to STEM and high-paying technology careers.