THIS IS A REQUEST FOR FUNDING TO SUPPORT SCIENTISTS WHO WILL ATTEND THE 2020 GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCE ON MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS. MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS ARE ORGANELLES THAT CARRY OUT THE CORE ENERGY TRANSDUCTION PROCESSES WITHIN PLANT CELLS - RESPIRATION AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS, RESPECTIVELY. THESE ORGANELLES SHARE MANY FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES, E.G., OPTIMIZATION OF ENERGY TRANSDUCTION TO ENHANCE CROP PRODUCTIVITY WILL BE FACILITATED BY A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIOGENESIS AND REGULATION OF THESE ORGANELLES. FURTHERMORE, PROCESSES HOUSED IN MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS HAVE RAMIFICATIONS BEYOND ENERGY TRANSDUCTION AND PLANT GROWTH PER SE, AS THEY PROFOUNDLY IMPACT PLANT METABOLISM/NUTRITION, PLANT DEVELOPMENT AND STRESS TOLERANCE. THIS GRC WILL PROVIDE A UNIQUE FORUM FOR INVESTIGATORS WORKING ON PLANT MITOCHONDRIA AND CHLOROPLASTS TO INTERACT WITH SCIENTISTS STUDYING RELATED PROBLEMS IN ANIMAL AND FUNGAL SYSTEMS, THEREBY FACILITATING THE DISCOVERY OF COMMON MECHANISMSAND SHARED PROPERTIES. IT WILL CONVENE RESEARCHERS WHO SPECIALIZE IN (STRESS) PHYSIOLOGY, GENETICS, BIOCHEMISTRY, METABOLISM, CELL BIOLOGY AND IMAGING, STRUCTURAL AND SYSTEMS BIOLOGY, THUS FOSTERING A CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE, THE SHARING OF TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERTISE, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS. THE EDUCATIONAL MISSION OF THE CONFERENCE WILL BE ENHANCED BY SELECTING POSTDOCS AND GRADUATE STUDENTS FOR SHORT TALKS. DISCUSSION LEADERS WILL PROVIDE AN INTRODUCTION TO EACH SESSION TO FURTHER BRIDGE/INTEGRATE THE RESEARCH COMMUNITIES. THE CONFERENCE WILL TAKE PLACE JULY 19-24, 2020, IN MOUNT SNOW, VERMONT.