Conference: 18th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research to be held June 20-23, 2007 in Beijing, China

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This project will provide support for the 18th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research to be held in Beijing, China on June 20 through 23, 2007. Arabidopsis thaliana has been the subject of genetic analysis for more than forty years. Thousands of researchers worldwide study this highly tractable reference plant, which is used to study nearly all aspects of plant biology. The annual International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR) brings together approximately 1,000 participants from this tightly-linked international scientific community to exchange scientific results and report on progress in the field. This year the 18th ICAR will be held in the Jiuhua Spa & Resort (http://www.jiuhua.com.cn/enindex.asp) in Beijing, China. This will be the first time ICAR will be held in an Asian country, and thus provides unique opportunities for building ties among researchers in Asian countries and the Western countries. The conference will include sessions on cell biology, cell signaling, development, metabolism, proteomics, biotic and abiotic interactions, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, evolutionary biology, novel tools, and techniques and resources. An important component of the conference is the presentation of current research by approximately 50 speakers and more than 600 posters. The majority of the oral presentations will be by graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and junior faculty. This will promote the training of students and postdocs and provide important opportunities for career development for the selected speakers.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. There will be many speakers who research does not focus on Arabidopsis as their primary organism. The broader impact of the conference lies in its ability to enhance the exchange of information at the forefront of Arabidopsis research creating new research networks and collaborations. Conference abstracts will be available on the conference webpage and at TAIR (the Arabidopsis Information Resource) providing for public access to this information. A workshop on the use of Arabidopsis in the classroom is being organized. Travel subsidies for conference participants from developing countries and full coverage for all conference costs for underrepresented minorities and participants from Minority Serving Institutions will be offered.