Conference: 40th Annual Gibbs Conference on Biothermodynamics

This request is for partial funding for the 40th Annual Gibbs Conference on Biothermodynamics, which will be held at the Touch of Nature Education Center in Carbondale, IL September 26th-29th, 2026. This long-standing conference has a history of hosting both established and junior investigators who address questions in the energetics of the biochemical processes that are essential to support life. An understanding of how biological molecules function with great specificity and perform the challenging chemical reactions necessary to support life is essential for continued progress in biotechnology, medicine and agriculture. This gathering fosters collaborations among the attendees, facilitating rapid progress through team efforts. The Gibbs conference welcomes investigators who address questions in the energetics of the chemical processes that confer biological function. The conference attendees come from an array of computational, biochemical and structural fields and are broadly interested in thermodynamics. The conference design encourages formal and informal discussions that will promote new collaborations and contribute to the professional development of young investigators and trainees. Successful outcomes of the conference will include new collaborations that drive the field forward. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2625897 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Kurt Piepenbrink | Institution: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, LINCOLN, NE | Award Amount: $7,000 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2625897 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2625897.html