CONFERENCE: 2011 Rustbelt RNA Meeting to be held October 21-22, 2011 in Dayton, OH

University Of Rio Grande, Rio Grande OH

Investigators

Abstract

Intellectual Merit The 2011 Rustbelt RNA Meeting will be held October 21-22, 2011, at the Crowne Plaza in Dayton, Ohio. The Rustbelt RNA Meeting is the major Midwest regional meeting of RNA researchers. The Rustbelt RNA Meeting was created in 1999 to address the need of RNA researchers in the Midwest for a regional meeting that includes not only faculty but also postdoctoral fellows and students (trainees). The intellectual objective of the Rustbelt RNA Meeting is to provide an inexpensive, high-caliber, interdisciplinary meeting for RNA researchers in the Midwest. Novel functions beyond the classical role for RNA as a product of transcription, a template for translation, or as structural/catalytic components of spliceosomes and ribosomes are constantly being discovered. At the same time, the methods used to study RNA are becoming increasingly diverse, ranging from synthetic and physical chemistry to biochemistry, genetics, and biophysical approaches all the way to cellular imaging and computational methods. Consequently, research groups need a forum where they can hear and discuss new results and techniques covering a broad range of RNA research areas that can ultimately result in furthering an individual lab's aims. The topics presented at the Rustbelt RNA Meeting are selected from the submitted abstracts. Broader Impacts The broader impact of the Rustbelt RNA Meeting is in trainee and junior faculty development. The Rustbelt RNA Meeting strongly emphasizes trainee participation. One major feature of the Rustbelt RNA Meeting is the participation of graduate and undergraduate students from a wide range of institutions (from large research-intensive universities to small, primarily undergraduate colleges). In addition to offering opportunities for interactions with principal investigators and other trainees, the Rustbelt RNA Meeting provides invaluable experience for trainees to present their research in an educational and supportive atmosphere. Trainees account for the majority (approximately 90%) of both poster and oral presentations. To encourage top-notch presentations, prizes are awarded for outstanding oral and poster presentations. Finally, the Rustbelt RNA Meeting is an excellent forum for junior investigators to network as well as to showcase their emerging research programs and develop new collaborations.