2010 Environmental Endocrine Disrupters Gordon Research Conference: May 30 - June 4, 2010; Switzerland

激素信号是控制多细胞生物体发育、控制生殖、调节体重以及几乎所有其他生理系统整合的关键机制。因此，重要的是，已经成为环境中全球污染物的工业化学品被证明干扰激素信号。评估这些所谓的内分泌干扰物对环境的影响的科学正处于一个重要的十字路口，因为在历史上，风险是一次测量一种化学物质，毒性是一般测量的。然而，很明显，与激素系统相互作用的化学物质的行为并不符合一般毒性的规则。因此，了解和适当地管理接触这些化学物质对野生动物和人类的风险需要许多不同种类的科学家的参与，包括分子生物学家、内分泌学家、毒物学家、野生生物学家、统计学家和风险评估员。此外，它还需要基础研究人员、生态学家、医生和政府监管机构的参与。这次国际会议的目标是召集这样一群科学家，以促进这些化学物质的基础内分泌学研究与人类和野生动物种群的风险管理相结合。该奖项将支持青年科学家和受训人员，特别是来自科学界代表性不足的团体的个人，参加这次会议。这将为他们提供与来自不同学科的科学家互动的机会，并影响他们在一个日益综合和多学科的领域的职业发展。

Hormone signaling represents a key mechanism by which development in multicellular organisms is paced, reproduction is controlled, body weight is regulated, and nearly all other physiological systems are integrated. Thus, it is of great importance that industrial chemicals that have become global contaminants in the environment are being shown to interfere with hormone signaling. The science of evaluating the environmental impact of these so-called "endocrine disruptors" is at an important crossroad, because historically, risk was measured for one chemical at a time, and toxicity was measured in general terms. It is clear, however, that chemicals that interact with hormone systems do not behave according to the rules of general toxicity. Therefore, understanding and appropriately regulating the risk of exposure to these chemicals for wildlife and for humans requires the participation of many different kinds of scientists, including molecular biologists, endocrinologists, toxicologists, wildlife biologists, statisticians, and risk assessors. In addition, it requires the participation of basic researchers, ecologists, physicians, and government regulators. The goal of this international conference is to assemble such a group of scientists to facilitate the integration of basic endocrinological research of these chemicals with risk management of human and wildlife populations. This award will support young scientists and trainees, especially individuals who are from groups underrepresented in science, to attend this meeting. This will provide them the opportunity to interact with scientists from a variety of disciplines and impact their career development in a field that increasingly integrative and multidisciplinary.