Subject: $5,000 Prize in Molecular Nanotechnology

From: Ralph Merkle <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 09:52:59 PDT

PLEASE FORWARD TO APPROPRIATE GROUPS

Foresight Prize in Molecular Nanotechnology

sponsored by the Foresight Institute 

A prize in the amount of $5000 will be awarded to the researcher whose
recent work has most advanced the development of molecular nanotechnology. 
The prize will be given at the Third Conference on Molecular
Nanotechnology, held in Palo Alto, California, on October 14-16, 1993. 
Young researchers are particularly encouraged to apply; however, no age
limit is set.

Submissions consist of one or more of the following:
*  an approved thesis or dissertation (bachelor's, master's, or Ph.D.)
*  an article published in a refereed journal
*  a paper approved for publication in a refereed journal
In addition, each submission must include a one-page summary of the work
and its relevance to the goal of molecular nanotechnology and/or molecular
manufacturing.  (If the journal article submitted has multiple authors, the
applicant's role in the research must be stated.)  Summaries may be up to
400 words in length.

Research areas considered relevant to molecular nanotechnology and
molecular manufacturing include but are not limited to:
proximal probes (e.g. STM, AFM)
protein engineering
supramolecular chemistry
computational chemistry and molecular modeling
natural molecular machines (e.g. flagellar motor, ribosome)
molecular machine design

Both experimental and theoretical work are eligible.  Special consideration
will be given to submissions clearly leading toward the construction of a
general-purpose molecular assembler.  Applicants wishing further
information on the field of the prize are referred to the book
_Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation_ (Wiley
Interscience, 1992).
  
The Selection Committee this year includes: 

* Masakazu Aono, Aono Atomcraft Project; Chief Scientist, RIKEN, Japan
* Robert Birge, Syracuse University professor, chemistry and molecular
electronics
* K. Eric Drexler, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular
Manufacturing and Chairman, Foresight Institute
* Stig Hagstrom, Chancellor of the Swedish University system
* Tracy Handel, Du Pont, protein science
* Arthur Kantrowitz, Dartmouth College, professor, engineering, and
Advisor, Foresight Institute
* Ralph Merkle, Computational Nanotechnology Project, Xerox Palo Alto
Research Center, and Advisor, Institute for Molecular Manufacturing
* Marvin Minsky, MIT Media Lab professor, and Advisor, Foresight Institute
* Kary Mullis, inventor of PCR method in molecular genetics
* Jane Richardson, Duke University, professor, protein science
* Hiroyuki Sasabe, Head of Laboratory for Nano-Photonics Materials, RIKEN
Institute, Japan 

Submissions should be mailed to the Foresight Institute at the postal
address below, to arrive by September 15, 1993.  One copy of the paper or
thesis and five copies of the one-page summary are required.  The summary
must include the applicant's address, telephone, and (if possible) fax
number and email address.  Finalists may be contacted for additional
information.  The prizewinner must be present at the conference to accept
the prize.

For further information, contact the Foresight Institute at P.O. Box 61058,
Palo Alto, CA 94306, USA.  Tel 415-324-2490, Fax 415-324-2497, Email
[email-masked].