Biological systems use complex networks of sensors and regulatory pathways to respond to and change their surrounding environments. In recent years, synthetic biologists strived to modify and repurpose these networks to change what organisms can do, and to use the modified or synthetic organisms for biotechnology, biomedicine and agriculture applications. However, our lack of knowledge about network function and organization often made it difficult to rationally design and successfully repurpose these networks, which in turn made it difficult to modify organisms in a predicable way. This project aims to define some of the underlying principles behind the function of such networks, and ultimately to use this knowledge to create synthetic organisms with particular downstream applications. Additionally, the project includes support for educational outreach activities, including a multi-day workshop for high school students that introduces cutting-edge concepts from synthetic biology, electrical circuit design, and data analysis techniques. By training young students and supporting undergraduate researchers, the project contributes to developing the next generation of scientific talent. This research project will identify the fidelity with which downstream genes can be controlled as a function of regulatory network architecture. Signal propagation will be tested in synthetic networks designed to systematically assess the impact of network architecture, and in the endogenous Ph