RNA molecules are increasingly in the spotlight, in recognition of the important roles they are now known to play in our cells and their promise in therapeutics. In this talk, we will give some backgroundon these fascinating molecules, and will describe ways in which computer algorithms can help shape our understanding of their structure - particularly secondary structure - and function.

Anne Condon, Professor in the Department of Computer Science at U. British Columbia, currently holds the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for the British Columbia and the Yukon regions. As a member of the Computing Research Association's Committee on Women (CRA-W) since 1994 and as co-chair of CRA-W from 2000-2003, Anne has worked on several programs aimed at increasing the representation of women in computer science and engineering, including the CRA Distributed Mentor Project and CRA-W's Career Mentoring Workshops for junior faculty. [an error occurred while processing this directive]