3rd ASM Conference on Beneficial Microbes to be held in Miami, Florida, October 25-29, 2010

研究进展提供的证据表明，大多数动物和植物依赖于与共同进化的微生物群落的联系。这些有益微生物共生体的联合体在生理平衡中起着关键作用，并与宿主的免疫系统合作以促进健康。对这些现象的认识正在彻底改变生物学家对动植物正常微生物群功能的看法。最近的技术进步使宿主-微生物相互作用的研究成为可能，这是研究这一领域研究前沿的关键时刻。美国微生物学会（ASM）在2005年和2008年举办了关于有益微生物的国际会议，汇集了来自广泛科学学科的生物学家。 今年的会议将在佛罗里达的迈阿密举行。目的是提供一个论坛，供讨论和交流意见，并制定新的办法和概念综合。这个年轻的领域正在吸引研究生和博士后研究人员，其中许多人将参加这次会议。为了确保广泛的代表性，组织委员会中30%是妇女;此外，21名受邀发言人中有7名是初级（任期前），21名中有8名是妇女。在39个贡献的口头报告中，18个（46%）将从提交的摘要中选择支持，确保创新研究者和想法的充分高可见度。 与前几次会议一样，这些得到支持的演讲的选择过程将侧重于初级研究人员、妇女和少数民族。少数民族院校的学生也将成为支助对象。该提案预算包括为具有美国公民身份的少数民族研究生提供10项旅行奖励，获奖者将根据其摘要的质量进行选择。

Research advances provide evidence that most animals and plants depend upon associations with coevolved communities of microorganisms. These consortia of beneficial microbial symbionts play critical roles in physiological balance, and partner with the host's immune system to foster health. Recognition of these phenomena is revolutionizing how biologists view the function of the normal microbiota of animals and plants. Investigation of host-microbe interactions has been enabled by recent technical advances, making this a critical time to examine research frontiers in this area. The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has held internationally attended conferences on beneficial microbes in 2005 and 2008 that brought together biologists from a broad range of scientific disciplines. This year the conference will be held in Miami, Florida. The aim is to provide a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas, and to develop new approaches and a conceptual synthesis. This young field is attracting graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom will attend this conference. To assure a broad representation, 30% of the organizational committee are women; in addition, 7 of 21 of the invited speakers are junior (pre-tenure), and 8 of the 21 are women. Of the 39 contributed oral presentations, 18 (46%) will be selected for support from submitted abstracts, ensuring ample high-visibility for innovative investigators and ideas. As in the previous meetings, the selection process for these supported presentations will focus on junior researchers, women and minorities. Students at underrepresented minority institutions will be also targets for support. The proposal budget includes 10 travel awards for minority graduate students with US citizenship, and the awardees will be selected based on the quality of their abstracts.