Conference: FASEB SRC: Retinal Neurobiology and Visual Processing Steamboat Springs, Coloroda: July 29-August 3, 2012

Federation Of Amer Societies For Exper Biology, Rockville MD

Investigators

Abstract

This application requests partial funding for the conference on "Retinal Neurobiology and Visual Processing", administered by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), to be held in 2012. This is the 11th meeting of this highly successful biennial conference. The primary goal of this unique forum is to bring together participants from diverse disciplines including: neurobiology, computational biology, and vision research to discuss state-of-the-art techniques and apply creative scientific thinking to understanding the neurobiological basis of vision, with an emphasis on retinal processing. Our 200 participants include established and young investigators, all actively involved in vision research. The meeting provides the opportunity for them to interact extensively and produces a stimulating and free atmosphere for the lively exchange of ideas. The proposed program and data provided in this application clearly demonstrate that this meeting provides opportunities for pre- and postdoctoral trainees, as well as early-stage independent investigators, to meet and share their ideas with each other and with established leaders in the field. Our speakers include a significant number of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and young investigators. Their inclusion highlights exciting new topics and promotes them as up and coming members of the vision research community. Historically, the conference provides opportunities for graduate students to learn about new areas of research and explore postdoctoral possibilities and gives our postdoctoral fellows a chance to show that they are ready to assume junior faculty positions. In addition, the discussions that arise at this meeting are known to give rise to new collaborations that bring about publications whose results represent milestones in our understanding of visual processing. Because the visual system is a leading model for our understanding of sensory processing in general, the meeting and its interactions have both short and long-term impact on the field of Neuroscience.