RNA molecules are known to play critical roles in the processing and expression of genetic information; however, very little is known regarding the three-dimensional structures of conserved, non-helical structures in RNA. In an effort to develop a broad understanding of the tertiary structure of RNA in solution, the properties of several non-helical elements have been examined, including three-helix junctions, bulges, and internal loops, using the method of transient electric birefringence. The birefringence method is well-suited to study the influence of such non- helical elements on adjacent RNA helix. For example, the birefringence approach has yielded the global conformation of a self-cleaving RNA, both pre- and post-cleavage, and has provided the magnitude of the bend associated with the TAR bulge of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). For the upcoming project period, these investigations will continue, and several additional systems will be examined.