This award will support research to develop new platforms for biological-electronic communication that can be harnessed for biological computing, based on microbial sensing and communication. Microbes both sense and respond to their environments. These processes can be complex, even for a single microbe. Microbes also communicate with one another, often through chemical signaling, but sometimes using a form of electrical signaling. This communication can result in a collective response. Viewing each individual microbe as an information processor offers the possibility of connecting the microbes together to create a complex living computer. This project seeks to connect microbes through electronic networks, organized to perform intelligent behaviors, such as learning complex patterns. Such microbe-based networks could serve as the basis for smart sensors, for example, harnessing biological-electronic communication for biological computing. Importantly, this technology must be developed safely and in alignment with public values. In support of this goal, the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of novel biological computers will be investigated. This research could enable development of programmable living biocomputers that could have applications in medical monitoring. Microorganisms are capable of sensing, responding and adapting to their environments. Such biological sensing and information processing tools could be harnessed to detect and interpret complex chem