About the Next Gen Conversations: Albany @ Ruston
After 20 Conversations spanning a 40-year period, Professor Sarma retired and handed over the Conversation to the next generation (and hence NextGen at LaTech). A critical element of the success of the Albany Conversations has always been an environment, isolated from distractions, that supports extended conversations and fosters lasting relationships. Thus, Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana was chosen as an ideal setting for continuing the Conversations, and hosted the 21st Conversation in 2024. As with earlier Conversations, leaders from around the world at the Next Gen. Conversations present posters and give talks on current developments in biomolecular sequence, structure, dynamics, and function using any combination of simulation, experiment, and theory.
Past Albany Conversations
In 1979, Professor Ramaswamy H. Sarma invited a few of his scientific colleagues for a Conversation at the State University of New York in Albany. Since then the Albany Conversations on Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics have continued every other year at SUNY. The Conversations now include about 250–300 scientists from over 20 countries. Each five-day Albany Conversation began on a Tuesday in early June (of an odd year) with a welcome dinner and celebration, a Russian-Israeli party on Thursday night, and evening addresses by one or more eminent scientists.
Speakers ranged from budding students to world-renowned experts. Posters were displayed for the duration of the meetings and served as conversation starters. International collaborations were forged, and several Nobel Laureates can trace their career development to the Albany Conversations.
Many of the abstract books from previous meetings over the years are published in the
Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, and can be viewed on the Taylor & Francis website via this link:
https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSearch?AllField=albany+abstracts&SeriesKey=tbsd20
Next Gen Conversations Publications
Bishop TC, Thayer KM, Young RT.
The Albany Conversations Are Now the Next Generation Conversations: Albany @ Ruston.
Biophysical Reviews 16: 399–400 (2024). PMC11415312.
DOI: 10.1007/s12551-024-01215-4
PubMed: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PMC11415312
Bishop TC, Thayer KM, Young RT.
Book of Abstracts. The 1st Next Generation Conversations: Albany at Ruston 2024 (The 21st Albany Conversation).
Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics 42(S1) (2024).
DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2384693
PubMed: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2384693