I'm a professor in the Department of Biological Structure at the University of Washington. My research and teaching activities are centered on the structure and function of biological macromolecules with a strong dependence on X-ray crystallographic techniques for studying molecular structures. I particularly enjoy the mix of experimental and computational work associated with crystallography and the great dependence on geometry in this type of research.
This introductory course covers the fundamentals of crystals (lattices, unit cells, symmetry, space groups), diffraction (optical analogs, Laue conditions, Bragg's Law, Ewald's sphere of reflection), structure solution (direct methods, Patterson techniques, multiple isomorphous replacement, molecular replacement, MAD), and refinement. I will gradually collect my lecture notes and problem sets and bring them up on the Web so what's there now is only a start.
Protein structure and function research has historically been a leading example of interdisciplinary research located somewhere between chemistry, biology and physics. At the University of Washington, interdisciplinary studies have been supported by the overlaying of various centers and programs over the traditional departmental disciplines. Accordingly, I'm associated with several academic units at the UW.
copyright © Ron Stenkamp Most recent update 8/30/05
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