Analysis of Interacting Nucleic Acids in Dilute Solutions

iii First and foremost, I thank Prof. Niles Pierce. He has provided me with a working environment where I am free to explore topics that spark my curiosity, all the while participating in an ambitious research program making nucleic acids do things I never imagined they could. He is a good scientific citizen, committed to ethically and passionately conducting meaningful research, providing quality instruction in the classroom, reaching out to the youth in the community, and improving the Institute as a whole. In the last several years, he has profoundly influenced my development as a scientist, leading by example with skill, enthusiasm, and integrity. I have had the good fortune of being co-advised by (and being a teaching-assistant with) Prof. Zhen-Gang Wang. He has consistently provided clear, patient advice. His depth of understanding is apparent in his comments, and also in his probing questions. He has encouraged me to think deeply about scientific problems and to distill them to their essentials. He has very generously shared his talents with me, and I am very grateful. My other two committee members have also been very helpful to me in the past couple of years. Prof. Erik Winfree and his group are close collaborators, also being creative with nucleic acids. I have had man