2018 Geobiology Gordon Research Conference: The microbial planet from deep time to today

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

This is a request to support the participation of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from U.S. institutions in the 2018 Geobiology Gordon Research Conference (GRC) that will bring together scientists from across the globe to Galveston, TX between January 21 and 26, 2018. The field of geobiology investigates the coevolution of life and the environment over Earth history, including studies of life and the environment today. Over the past decade, the field of geobiology has produced a strong cohort of scientists who require a meeting of their own to exchange ideas, tools, and expertise. The Graduate Research Seminar (GRS), a two-day meeting for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, will immediately precede the GRC and give early career scientists an opportunity to organize and participate in focused meetings. GRC and GRS actively promote diversity, eschew review talks and instead demand researchers to share the latest and greatest ideas and questions during the poster and discussion sessions. Because the attendances of GRC and GRS, respectively, are limited to 200 and 60 people, respectively, these meetings will stimulate thoughtful and engaging discussions and spontaneous interactions as well as offering numerous networking opportunities for junior people. By supporting the attendance of GRS and GRC by graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from the U.S., the requested funding will strengthen the sense of community, train junior scientists, promote collaboration and diversity in the field. Geobiology uses the tools of paleontology, geology, geochemistry and microbiology, but is separated from these more traditional disciplines by an interest in the complex relationships and feedbacks among biological, chemical, and physical processes. The scientific programs for Geobiology GRC and GRS 2018 will investigate interactions among biological, chemical and physical processes on Earth?s surface in daily poster sessions and nine oral sessions, each with two or three invited speakers and a discussion leader. These sessions will highlight open questions, novel experimental and conceptual approaches and active areas of research within the field. Both meetings will encourage open and honest intellectual debate and ask each session chair to encourage rigorous analysis of all science presented or discussed in a manner respectful to all conferees. An informal afternoon meeting titled ?Transition Time: How to find the right career after graduate school or your postdoctoral fellowship? will provide mentoring and support the professional growth of graduate students and postdocs. GRC and the preceding GRS will offer numerous opportunities to socialize and network. These interactions will advance discovery, disseminate results, and train attendees in methods, approaches and presentation skills.