CONFERENCE: Sharing Advances in Symbiosis Research and Education at the 2009 6th International Symbiosis Society congress/ Univ. of Wisconsin August 9-15, 2009 Madison, WI

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Heidi Goodrich-BlairConference: 6th International Symbiosis Society CongressIOS-0929143Symbiosis is the intimate association between two or more species. Symbiotic relationships are ubiquitous, and allow many plants and animals to thrive in diverse environments. For example, reef corals obtain most of their energy from algae that live inside their tissues. Almost all land plants rely on fungi to provide essential minerals, and most animals, including humans, rely on bacteria for nutrition and defense against infectious diseases. Despite the importance of symbiosis in the health of plants and animals, scientists understand little regarding the mechanisms that promote and maintain healthy long-term associations. Such knowledge could help ameliorate the impact of global climate shifts on animal and plant health and could lead to the discovery of new drugs that are produced by symbiotic partners for pathogen defense. Furthermore, symbiotic systems are fascinating, engaging, visually striking and relevant to our world. Therefore, symbiosis can help educate students on fundamental biological principles in evolution, ecology, molecular biology, cell biology, and physiology. Two critical steps toward realizing the potential of symbiosis research are increasing communication among symbiosis researchers in diverse fields and educating the public regarding the importance and elegance of symbiotic systems. The 6th International Symbiosis Congress project will support these efforts by allowing the participation of scientists, students, and teachers in an international conference to be held in Madison Wisconsin August 9-15, 2009. Presenters will discuss cutting edge research on the evolution, ecology, metabolism, and molecular biology of symbiosis in corals, legumes, flowering plants, forests, humans, and insects among others. Specific topics that will be addressed are how global climate changes are influencing symbiotic systems and how symbiotic associations evolve and are stabilized. This project also will promote professional development and symbiosis education workshops at the conference that are designed to encourage success among junior scientists and expand the integration of symbiosis research in education and outreach.