7th International Conference on Plasmodesmata, 21st-26th March 2010, Sydney, Australia

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Funds are requested to support attendance at the 7th International Conference on Plasmodesmata, which will take place from 21st-26th March 2010, in Sydney, Australia. Plasmodesmata are tiny channels that connect plant cells to their neighbors, and are important for plant growth and crop yields because they control the movement of nutrients and spread of plant diseases. Because research in this field is multidisciplinary, and extremely active, it is important that researchers in diverse subject areas have the opportunity to meet and discuss their research. Many important discoveries have been made in this area by US scientists. Plasmodesmata research is also highly interactive, and has many international collaborators who are essential to advance the science rapidly. Therefore attendance at this conference by a diverse pool of US scientists will be highly beneficial both to basic research and to agriculture.It is expected that the conference will contribute significantly to science and education. First, the conference will foster interactions between scientists with skills in diverse areas. Second, involvement of students and post docs will be strongly encouraged by the secluded and interactive environment, and by having each participant present a talk or a short oral presentation alongside his or her poster. Participation by minority and female scientists will also be strongly encouraged. This will be achieved by identification and encouragement of individuals, as well as by advertising the conference widely. Success of the conference will be assessed by a written questionnaire distributed among all attendees.