Replacing nonrenewable energy sources with solar-powered bacteria, curing diseases with engineered microbes, producing valuable biochemicals and materials in cells -- these are some of the goals of synthetic biology, a new field that seeks to design and build biological systems.
The 2009 Prospects for Synthetic Biology white paper competition wants to hear about your vision for new directions in synthetic biology. Essays will be judged by a panel of experts based on creativity, feasibility, potential to advance the field of synthetic biology and benefit society. Projects could include design of basic genetic parts and circuits, new applications, or enabling technologies including DNA synthesis or computational tools.