Help generate ideas that will unify and advance the biological sciences. The NSF directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and KnowInnovation (KI) would like to let you know of the opportunity to participate in a series of NSF-funded virtual and in-person events focused on identifying the opportunities and challenges for reintegrating research across the biology subdisciplines. More details can be found at https://reintegratingbiology.org/ [4].

Biology has the goal of understanding the processes that generate and sustain life. Despite this unifying principle, the actual practice of modern biology has become increasingly fragmented into subdisciplines due, in part, to specialized approaches required for deep study of narrowly defined problems. BIO aims to encourage a unification of biology. Our goal is to stimulate creative integration of diverse biological disciplines using innovative experimental, theoretical, and computational approaches to discover underlying principles operating across all hierarchical levels of life, from biomolecules to organisms, species, ecosystems, and biomes.

Earlier this year, BIO asked members [5] of the biological sciences community for high-level ideas on the research questions and topics that would benefit from NSF investment in a truly integrated research environment. The responses from across the country offered a broad range of fundamental biological questions spanning the scales of biological organization. BIO now wants to grow and enrich the conversation with a view to priming the formation of new NSF-supported research teams around these questions.

To that end, you are invited to sign up [6] for one of the Virtual Town Hall discussions which will take place September 17, 2019 from 11:00 AM-12:30 PM EDT and September 18, 2019 from 1:00-2:30 PM EDT. These events will help identify themes for more focused, in-person discussions that will take place later in the fall – fertile soil for germination of new, foundational cross-disciplinary ideas that will unify and advance the biological sciences. Space is limited, so we encourage you to register early.

Please visit https://reintegratingbiology.org/ [7] to sign up and find out more information.

Print [8] | PDF [9]