2005 Neural Circuits and Plasticity Gordon Research Conference, Salve Regina University in Newport, RI; June 26-July 1, 2005

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The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Neural Circuits and Plasticity (formerly Neural Plasticity) has been held in alternate years since 1977. This grant will provide partial support for the June 26-July 1, 2005 meeting at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. This conference is a highly interdisciplinary meeting in which the formation, function, and plasticity of neural circuits is explored at the molecular, cellular, systems, and computational levels. The 2005 Conference will have 9 scientific sessions, with a keynote talk by Rodolfo Llinas, one of the most renowned scientists studying circuit function and plasticity. The scientific sessions will cover a range of topics of current interest in the field, from synaptogenesis to sensory coding. The speakers and session chairs are all either world leaders in their fields or up-and-coming junior investigators. This meeting promises to move the field forward by fostering interdisciplinary thinking about the development and plasticity of complex circuitry. The broader impact of this meeting resides in part in the multidisciplinary nature of the conference. Investigators working at different levels have a chance to interact on an intimate scale not usually managed in large (but generally narrowly focused) meetings. In addition, this meeting has a tradition of inclusiveness that has helped to promote underrepresented minorities in the field of Neuroscience. Afternoon poster sessions provide an opportunity for all interested participants to present and discuss their work, and each session will include 1 or 2 short talks selected from the submitted abstracts. These short talks will be used to increase the participation of underrepresented groups. This format worked very well in previous years to promote young investigators and women. NSF support will help to fund the attendance of underrepresented groups in the field of Neural Circuit plasticity, including women and ethnic minorities.