Santa Cruz Meeting on Developmental Biology; August 5-9, 2004; Santa Cruz, CA

University Of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA

Investigators

Abstract

Funding is requested for the 2004 Santa Cruz meeting on Developmental Biology, to be held 5-9 August 2004 at the University of California, Santa Cruz, California. Previous Santa Cruz Developmental Biology (SCDB) meetings have provided a stimulating and focused forum for discussion of current research by developmental biologists. SCDB meetings are international in scope and are accessible to junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. SCDB meetings emphasize the conceptual unity of developmental biology at the level of mechanism, while covering and eclectic range of current topics. The topics for the 2004 meeting include: pattern formation; morphogenesis and cell migration; evolution and development; stem cells; non-coding RNAs; cellular asymmetry; organogenesis; development of the nervous system, and disease. Speakers are invited from both plant and animal development fields. The 2004 meeting will have 40-50 platform speakers, of which 10-15 will be chosen from abstracts submitted to the meeting organizers. Platform sessions are organized to allow ample time for discussions; the extensive discussion periods have been cited as one of the best features of previous SCDB meetings. Posters are continuously displayed and several poster sessions are scheduled in the meeting, as well as time for informal discussions. The 2004 SCDB meeting will build on the success of previous meetings in this series. SCDB meetings are hosted by the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). The conference site is arranged so that platform sessions, posters, accommodation, and dining facilities are in close proximity; access for disabled participants is ensured by UCSC. The UCSC setting is cost effective. Conference logistics are provided by UCSC Conference Services. The UCSC campus is within an hour's drive of the San Francisco Bay Area; travel from nearby airports is simple, but the site is sufficiently isolated and pleasant that speakers and participants tend to stay in residence for the entire meeting. Thus, the SCDB meeting, although modeled on a Gordon Research Conference, has several additional advantages that have made it a valued venue for the Developmental Biology community. Intellectual merit: The Santa Cruz meetings on Developmental Biology have become a well established venue for presentation and discussion of current results across the field of developmental biology. Unlike other comparably sized meetings, SCDB meetings emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, and are not focused on specific processes or organisms. One theme of the 2004 meeting will be the use of comparative and evolutionary approaches to understanding development; for example, in addition to classical model systems, the meeting will include presentations on mollusks, planarians, and stickleback fish. The SCDB meeting will emphasize the general implications of such studies for developmental mechanisms. Broader impact: The broader impacts of the 2004 SCDB meeting will be in fostering developmental biology research and in training. Previous SCDB meetings have stimulated collaborative research by bringing together an eclectic group of active investigators in a collegial setting. It is anticipated that the 2004 meeting will likewise foster new collaborations. Previous SCDB meetings have also had broader impact in enhancing the training of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty in the field of developmental biology. The size and organization of SCDB meetings allows all attendees to present their research and to fully participate in discussions. SCDB meeting attendees also regularly include representatives from major scientific journals. Active participation in meetings and exposure to prominent scientists in the field are both important training goals for scientists in the early stages of their careers.