2015 Nucleic Acids Gordon Research Conference: DNA and RNA Metabolism; University of New England, Biddeford, ME; May 31-June 5, 2015

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

The Nucleic Acids Gordon Research Conference will be held at the University of New England, Biddeford Maine on May 31 - June 5, 2015. This conference has a long and illustrious history of promoting cross-disciplinary discussion at the leading edge of research on nucleic acid metabolism. In 2015, the focus is on leading edge research at the interface between RNA and DNA processes (e.g., telomere structure-function, the impact of collisions between replication and transcription, etc.), with the goal of bringing together researchers who often congregate in their own specialized meetings on RNA or DNA topics. The program includes several plenary and poster sessions in the morning and evening with open afternoon time and shared meals to promote informal conversations and activities. The small size of the conference (~150 participants) and on-campus living facilitates interactions among junior and senior scientists at all levels. The number of invited women speakers is higher (than in 2013) and the number of speaker slots to be filled from submitted abstracts has been increased to 15 of 49 in order to more effectively target under-represented groups and young scientists. The effort to broaden participation is also reflected in the fact that only 15% of the invited speakers in 2015 presented at the 2013 conference. GRC fellowship funds are available specifically to support participation of underrepresented minority students and international participants. The NSF funds will help defray travel, registration and accomodation costs for 10 participants (new faculty, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students) who will be chosen to present posters or platform talks at the conference.