Project Description: |
In my lab we use short-pulse lasers, single-molecule microscopes, and computers to try to understand the details that drive the functions of proteins and other biological molecules. We use two types of fluorescence spectroscopy in my laboratory. The first uses short pulses of laser light (about 100 femtoseconds, where 1 femtosecond = 1 × 10-15 s) to observe events that happen quickly. The second uses sophisticated microscopes to observe individual molecules one at a time. Both techniques help us understand details of molecular behavior that are not possible with ordinary spectroscopy. We also use sophisticated computational methods (and supercomputers) to model the motions of the same proteins and nucleic acids. These computer models provide tremendous detail and help to explain the experimental results.
Students in my laboratory have the opportunity to work with both the spectroscopic and computational arms of the research, or to specialize in either. All researchers in my laboratory will be helping to develop physical chemical methods for understanding how efficient biological function is achieved as well as how biological misfunction (i.e. disease) occurs. These methods will help our group and other scientists to better understand disease and to, hopefully, effect treatment in the future.
|
