CHESS Research Uses Pressure To Understand RNA Dynamics
Just as space holds infinite mysteries, when we zoom in at the level of biomolecules (one trillion times smaller than a meter), there is still so much to learn.
Just as space holds infinite mysteries, when we zoom in at the level of biomolecules (one trillion times smaller than a meter), there is still so much to learn.
What is the discovery?
Steve is very interested in structural biology methods that let us see "molecular movies" -- i.e. how molecular machines like enzymes actually work. Diffuse scattering is one such method that he’s worked on with Nozomi Ando's group. But he’s also interested in using time-resolved techniques to include more types of perturbations, such as temperature, pressure, and electric fields.
Richard Gillilan, BioSAXS guru, assisted in running a workshop on small-angle scattering. He also co-chaired the session "Phase Separation and Aggregation of Biomolecular Systems and Intrinsically Disordered Proteins", and gave a talk in it about the use of multi-protein simulations and structure factor measurements. It was noteworthy that all the speakers at the session reported on work done at the CHESS BioSAXS station!
Summer Engineering Research for Community College Students (SERCCS) selects 4-5 students from (2-year) community colleges for eight-week internships in accelerator and x-ray sciences research, during which students also attend/lead formal seminars, tour research facilities, and enjoy social and