Symposium: Society Developmental Biology Annual Meetings 2009-2011, July 23-27, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, CA

Society For Developmental Biol, Rockville MD

Investigators

Abstract

The field of developmental biology encompasses several scientific disciplines that explore how complex organisms, from plants to humans, arise from a single fertilized egg. The Society for Developmental Biology, founded in 1939, has organized the major worldwide meeting in this subject for the past 70 years, missing two during World War II. At these meetings, scientists at all career levels communicate and share their latest results. A recent example is the first public report on the isolation and culture of human fetal stem cells by Dr. John Gearhart, paving the way for the field of regenerative medicine. Other basic findings on regulation of the process of development using different model organisms have contributed to improvements in health of people as well as of animals and environment. Although the majority of participants are from the United States, many of whom receive grants from the National Science Foundation, some investigators attend from around the world. The meetings rotate across the country to ease the travel burden for investigators from various regions, as well as to showcase a range of hosting universities. Students, postdoctoral trainees and junior faculty are given ample opportunity to present their experimental results in poster sessions, and the best ones are chosen to give short talks. In addition, workshops are offered at these meetings to promote career advancement of junior-investigators and teach them skills to navigate the challenges along their career path. There is long-term interest in the subject of developmental biology, which is a central biological problem, as well as increasing public interest in issues such as birth defects, cloning and stem cells. This highlights the importance of the subject both in terms of scientific advancement and public education.