On Tuesday April 17, 2001 Robert H. Austin of Princeton University presented a talk entitled:

"Biological Physics in the 21st Century"

as part of the Seminar Series

"What Physical Scientists Can Measure, What Biological Scientists Would Like to Measure."

Robert H. Austin is a Biological Physicist. His projects are aimed at using the techniques of physics to achieve a quantitative understanding of fundamental aspects of biological molecules and systems. These projects include: Sequence-dependent structure and rigidity of DNA and its influence on DNA-protein interactions, studies of energy flow in biomolecules and Applications of Microlithography to Biology.

Abstract:
The 20th Century has been widely acknowledged as the Century of Physics, as Time Magazine emphasized by its choice of Albert Einstein as the Person of the Century. However, it is widely anticipated that the 21st Century will be the Century of Biology. What role will Physics play in the revolutions that are occuring in Biology? I will attempt to outline the fundamental problems that Biology will face as it rapidly evolves into a quantitative science and try to predict how Biological Physics will play a pivotal role in the Century of Biology.