Meeting: 58th Annual Maize Genetics Conference; Jacksonville, Florida; March 17-20, 2016

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

The 58th Annual Maize Genetics Conference will be held March 17-20, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Jacksonville, Florida. The meeting offers members of the scientific community the opportunity to present and discuss their most recent research relevant to maize genetics and plant biology. This conference grant will broaden the scope of the meeting by funding participants from under-represented groups to attend. These participants will also receive professional development training through presenting their research and interacting with invited speakers and scientist-mentors during the conference. The experience of attending a Maize Genetics Conference, the exposure to cutting-edge research, the scientific interactions, and the contacts established are vital catalysts for the careers of aspiring students and postdocs. A wide range of topics investigating the structure and function of genes, pathways, and traits are included in the conference, spanning the spectrum of maize genetics from basic studies of gene action to quantitative trait dissection to more applied topics relevant to crop improvement. The 58th Annual meeting will feature talks by four invited plenary speakers: Karen Koch (University of Florida), Mark Stitt (Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, Golm, Germany), Chris Schoen (Technische Universitat Munchen, Freising, Germany), and Jonathan Lynch (Pennsylvania State University). There will also be a plenary session to award the 3rd Barbara McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies to recognize one of the most outstanding plant geneticists of the present era. The program will include approximately 35 18-minute talks by speakers selected from submitted abstracts, and two poster sessions. The Maize Genetics Conference provides outstanding opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral scientists to meet and interact with an international gathering of scientists in the field, to discuss their research while presenting talks or posters, and to establish scientific networks that will be valuable as they embark on their careers. Funding from NSF will be used to broaden participation at the meeting through outreach and recruiting efforts that seek to support Conference attendance by students, postdocs and young faculty from under-represented groups with an interest in exploring research possibilities in maize genetics. Partnering these awardees with experienced maize researchers at similar career stages will facilitate their productive participation in the Conference. In addition, students who are minorities or first time attendees will be supported by defraying the cost of food and lodging at the Conference. The Maize Genetics Conference is unique compared to other meetings in its efforts to support attendance of all graduate student attendees.