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LAS Dean’s Spring Lecture: Programming Molecules in the Age of Nanotechnology

Author: Stacey Maifeld | Image: Stacey Maifeld

Dr. Robyn Lutz, professor, Department of Computer Science
Programming Molecules in the Age of Nanotechnology
Thursday, March 2, 2017
8:00 p.m. in the Sun Room, Memorial Union

Abstract
When scientists combine computer science with the information-processing power of molecules, science fiction becomes a reality. Self-assembling, programmable systems at the nanoscale are poised to have a major impact on society, from personalized medical therapeutics to biosensors that could detect pollutants in our water or disease in your body. In her talk, Lutz will describe work at Iowa State aimed at using computer science and software engineering methods to design molecular programmed systems that are efficient, verifiably correct, and safe for use.

Read more about the Laboratory for Molecular Programming Research (LAMP) and its research at Iowa State.

Dr. Robyn Lutz
Robyn Lutz has been a faculty member in computer science at Iowa State University since 2000. She was also on the technical staff of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (1983-2012), most recently in the Software System Engineering group. Her research interests include safety-critical software systems, product lines, and the specification and verification of DNA nanosystems. She is an ACM Distinguished Scientist. She served as program chair of the 2014 International Requirements Engineering Conference, recently completed her second term as an associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, and is on the editorial board of the Requirements Engineering Journal.

LAS Dean’s Lecture Series
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Lecture Series highlights faculty excellence in learning, discovery, and engagement. The dean invites LAS faculty of international preeminence to present lectures from their own areas of expertise on topics of interest to the general public, designed to stimulate high-quality, intellectual discussion among faculty, staff, students, and community members.