17th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research to be held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison on June 28 - July 2, 2006.

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This project will provide support for the 17th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research to be held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison on June 28 through July 2, 2006. Arabidopsis thaliana has been the subject of genetic analysis for more than forty years. Currently thousands of researchers world-wide work with this highly tractable reference plant, using it to study nearly all aspects of plant biology. The plant research community has responded to the challenge of exploiting the complete genome sequence of Arabidopsis with an ambitious functional genomics program, driving the discovery of Arabidopsis gene functions and by extension gene functions in all plants. Arabidopsis research has especially impacted the understanding economically important processes of agriculturally important plants. A key component in the synergistic interactions among Arabidopsis research laboratories is the opportunity to meet and share results with colleagues from around the world at the annual International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR). The conference brings together over 1000 participants from the international community to exchange scientific results and report on progress in the field. The conference will include platform sessions on systems biology; interactions with biotic and abiotic factors in the environment; genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that control plant gene expression; natural variation and comparative genomics; development of the flower, fruit, seed, root and shoot of the plant; plant metabolism; signaling pathways; cell biology; translation of Arabidopsis research to other plant systems; how plants contribute to energy resources; and a special session on projects funded through the NSF Arabidopsis 2010 program. Each platform session will include approximately 5 speakers, the majority of whom will be junior faculty, post-Doctoral fellows, and graduate students. These junior scientists will professionally benefit from the experience and exposure of giving a platform talk to a large audience. In addition, the conference will feature at least 600 poster presentations and several workshops on special topics such as database resources and teaching strategies.The broader impact of the conference lies in its ability to enhance the exchange of information at the forefront of Arabidopsis research world-wide, creating new networks and collaborations. Conference abstracts will be publicly available on the conference Web site, which is linked to the Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) Web site. In addition, the Conference fosters the participation of minority scientists by providing them with travel subsidies. Furthermore, this year's conference will emphasize extending Arabidopsis studies to other plant species, stimulating innovative strategies for improvement of agricultural plants.