Conference: Travel Grant Program for the 15th International Biophysics Congress, to be held in Montpellier, France from August 27- September 1, 2005.

National Academy Of Sciences, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB) and the Biophysical Society are jointly sponsoring a travel grant program to support international travel for U.S. biophysics graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career scientists to participate in the scientific program of the combined meeting of the 15th International Biophysics Congress of IUPAB and the 5th Congress of the European Biophysical Societies' Association. The meeting will take place August 27-September 1, 2005, in Montpellier,France <http://worldbiophysics2005.sfbiophys.org/>. This travel grant provides young scientists, many of whom do not have the institutional funding for such travel, an opportunity to present their research and learn of important new advances in biophysics in an international forum. Organized as a combined program of plenary sessions, invited symposia, paper discussions, and poster sessions, it is estimated that the congress will attract over 1,000 scientists. Travel grants will be offered to investigators in the early stages of their careers. An announcement of the travel grant program will be sent to biophysics departments and placed in society newsletters and web pages in January 2005. The U.S. National Committee will evaluate and rank the applications based on scientific merit of the submitted abstract, the candidate's publication history, and plans for engaging in other research meetings or activities in conjunction with the trip to France. Special attention will be paid to the inclusion of grantees from traditionally underrepresented groups. Researchers from all fields of biophysics will be considered, from the molecular level up to integrated systems and organisms. Intellectual Merit International congresses provide young investigators with a unique educational experience that can have a lasting impact on their research careers, including possibilities for international collaboration. The meeting provides a forum for scientists to meet foreign colleagues working in the same and related fields, leading to working relationships and lifelong scientific interactions. Speakers range from early career scientists to leading researchers who have the opportunity not only to present their research to a multinational audience, but also to expand their international networks. Through this travel grant program, young investigators will have the the opportunity to listen to distinguished international scientists discuss the most current research across the breadth of biophysics and to interact with them in an informal setting. Broader Impact International congresses also provide young scientists with diverse perspectives on research being done internationally, including in developing countries, and the impact of biophysics research worldwide. The interactions that will result from this travel grant program are expected to promote international cooperation and exchange of ideas, leading to scientific advances that are difficult to achieve in isolation.