Members of the Biological Sciences Division research community participated in the Congressional Life Science Fair hosted on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 19, 2023. The fair featured presentations and hands on exhibits by scientists from 15 different organizations from around the country to showcase how federal funding for research and discovery benefits society.
This year’s fair was the third such event organized the Coalition for the Life Sciences (CLS) and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), which collectively represent more than 100,000 scientists across the country from all biological research disciplines and at all career stages. The event, sponsored by the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus, was hosted at the Rayburn House Office Building and was attended by federally elected officials, leaders from the National Institutes of Health, and their staff.
Asif Ali, PhD, a postdoc in the lab of David Pincus, Shahid Ali, PhD, a postdoc in the lab of Neil Shubin, and Allison Gicking, PhD, Director of Research Initiatives for the BSD, hosted a demo to help attendees understand the relationship between amino acids and protein structure. First, attendees used a VR headset to view a 3D model of the COVID-19 spike protein structure. Then, the presenters used a painting technique called water marbling to blend different colors that symbolize individual amino acids and show how these building block fold and interact to create intricate patterns and shapes that are essential for proper functioning of proteins in the human body. The lightweight acrylic paint used in water marbling will stick to a piece of paper placed on the surface of the water, so each attendee could create a piece of ‘protein art’ to take home.
The UChicago team’s trip to the Capitol was supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The fair was created as an opportunity for early-career investigators to refine their public engagement skills while providing federal officials a better understanding of the significance and impact of science and technology in today’s, and tomorrow’s, society.
