2006 Synaptic Transmission, Gordon Conference 2006; Colby-Sawyer College, New London, New Hampshire, July 23-26, 2006

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

Conference date and site: July 23-28th, 2006, Colby-Sawyer College, New London, New Hampshire Meeting Chairs: Julie Kauer, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA Ralf Schneggenburger, University of Lausanne, Switzerland Role of the Gordon Conference on Synaptic Transmission The first Gordon Conference on Synaptic Transmission was proposed in 1997 and enthusiastically approved by the Gordon Research Conferences organization after critical review by leaders in the field. The first meeting was held in 1998 with subsequent meetings every two years. By all accounts, these meetings were extremely successful and many commented that they were among the best conferences that they had ever attended. Participants and goals of this small meeting The total number of participants is limited to about 150 by the capacity of the meeting site. With 32 people on the program we will have room for at least 118 attendees. In the past no applicant was turned away. Further, because the conference has been able to pay the full registration for many students and postdocs, a large group of these individuals attended. Because of the small size and insular setting of a Gordon Research Conference, attendees can expect to have considerable personal contact with other participants. This makes it easier to ask speakers questions either in the sessions or informally afterwards. Access to the expertise represented at this meeting will be very valuable to people working in these and related areas. Discussions under these circumstances often spawn new research projects and collaborations. The goal of the selection of attendees will be to enrich the intellectual environment of the meeting. In recognition of the research contributions of conferees not on the program, all attendees will be encouraged to present posters when they are notified of their acceptance. Applicants will be selected with the following criteria in order of priority. 1) Potential for contributions to discussion and exchange of ideas at the meeting. Of course, ongoing research in synaptic transmission will factor heavily in this consideration although allowances will be made for unique contributions that individuals 2 in related fields may be able to make. In this way we hope to gain from as many diverse perspectives and areas of expertise as possible. 2) Potential benefit to career of attendee. Junior researchers can benefit considerably from Gordon Research Conferences. They have the opportunity to get to know faculty at other institutions, and this may serve them well in searching for post-doctoral and faculty positions. Giving a high priority to this criterion will help ensure a high level of participation by young scientists. 3) Potential benefit to the research of an attendee. An effort will be made to select attendees whose research stands to benefit from the conference. Of the 118 attendees, we are aiming to have at least 50% at the graduate student or postdoctoral level. The selection process will also be directed toward achieving the goal of providing a mix of people with diverse scientific backgrounds. The attendees will include people from different institutions, industry, and government and foundation laboratories. In past years we have also had several attendees representing the major scientific journals. In addition, the organizers are making special effort to ensure the attendance and participation of women and underrepresented minorities.