About this conference
Biological organisms exhibit sophisticated crystal engineering capabilities that underlie the remarkable material properties of mineralized tissues such as bone and teeth, and the beautiful and functional nacre of mollusks and abalone. Increasing interest is being paid to nature's processing strategies, particularly by materials scientists looking for bio-inspired methods to engineer unique ceramics coatings or composites for use in magnetic, optical, biomedical, and protective coatings applications. In particular, the engineering of hard tissues may benefit from biomimetic approaches since the benign conditions allow for the incorporation of biomolecular compounds into the organic/inorganic composite during fabrication.

On the other hand, there is great interest from the biomedical community because the disruption of normal biomineralization processes may lead to pathological conditions, such as in arteriosclerotic plaque formation, encrustation of biomaterials (such as urinary catheters and artificial heart valve calcification), kidney stone build-up, dental calculus formation, or bone and tooth demineralization.

The main objective of this conference is to bring together scientists, physicians, and engineers in a relaxed environment, with talks designed to bridge the gap between researchers in this interdisciplinary field.  

This ground-breaking conference will have sessions that deal with
    (a) Biomineraliization in Nature/Vertebrates & Invertebrates (Inspiration for Design Principles),
    (b) Organic Modulators of Cystallization/Templated Nucleation & Crystal Growth Modification,
    (c) Engineering Strategies/Bioinspired Materials & Novel Physicochemical Properties, and
    (d) Applications of Biomimetic Materials/Devices & Processes.

Each day will open with a keynote address to highlight the day's topics; each of the sessions will include eight to ten presentations, with afternoon left free for ad hoc meetings and informal discussions.  An evening poster session will also promote dialogue among the attendees.

Conference Organization
The Chair of the Conference is Dr. Allison A. Campbell of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington and the Co-Chair is Prof. Laurie Gower of the University of Florida in Gainesville

Those who receive this announcement by direct mail will be sent the General Announcement/Call for Papers. All others should execute the Request for Information Form in order to be put on the list for the next mailing. All conference information will also be on this Web site.