High School Students Explore DNA Nanotechnology at Annual EECS Workshop

Austin Cook

Dr. Matt Patitz teaching

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science recently hosted the High School Workshop on the Mathematics and Computer Science of DNA Nanotechnology, led by faculty members Matt Patitz and Trent Rogers and student Phillip Drake.

Now in its 11th year, the workshop continues to grow, attracting its largest and most academically diverse group of participants in 2025. The workshop introduces students to topics in computability theory and complexity theory, structural properties of DNA molecules, and various design techniques for creating DNA-based components that self-assemble into specific structures and perform computations.

"My primary motivation for hosting this workshop each year is to try to expose some of the most talented and motivated high school students in Northwest Arkansas to the world of academic research," said Patitz.

The workshop offers hands-on activities that demonstrate how abstract mathematical ideas can be applied to real-world nanoscale systems. In past workshops, students designed Turing machines to solve a range of computational tasks. They also developed systems of abstract "tiles" based on motifs composed of DNA molecules. These tile systems were designed to self-assemble into shapes, such as squares of specific dimensions, or to perform functions such as counting in various numerical bases.

"Students who participated in our last workshop were an extremely talented and motivated group. They were super fun to work with, and in just a few days they were able to learn and understand foundational knowledge in computer science, chemistry, and DNA nanotechnology," said Patitz. "Teaching these workshops provides some of the most fun, impactful, and gratifying teaching experiences I have each year. I thoroughly enjoy getting to meet and work with some of the most talented high school students in Northwest Arkansas."