Professor Krugh's group is interested in the three-dimensional structure of RNA oligomers, with an overall goal of relating structure to biological function. Two-dimensional NMR experiments are used to assign nucleic acid NMR resonances, and to measure intermolecular distances for energy minimization and molecular dynamics calculations used to determine three-dimensional structures. We are interested in the structure of RNA hairpins, which are single strands of RNA that fold to form a structure resembling a hairpin. In collaborative studies with Professor Douglas Turner and his group, we are investigating the structure of RNA duplexes containing various motifs. The overall goal of these structural studies is to provide a basis for correlation between sequence and structure.